\ 

1 


BT 
302 
T16c  Tappan 


-L.-  mx^^j^ 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 


Form  I 


This  book  is 

DUE   on 

the  last  date  stamped  below 

JUL  2  8  1926 

MAY  3      1929 

/^ 

DEC  4      1929 

'  ,  DEC  2  9  WW" 

JAN   1  6  19581 

MARl2iqRfl 

'••% 

4 

Form  L-9-1.5//(-10,"25 

PRESENTATION    IN   THE   TEMPLE 


i )  ,       <        1 


-T— -^ 'I      '    .    >- 


Cj)t  C5ri0t  S»tor^ 


BY 


EVA  MARCH   TAPPAN 


PROFUSELY  ILLUSTRATED 


1^3  34 


BOSTON   AND   NEW    YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 
^Efte  iliiberjsjbc  ^xtH^  Cambribge 

1903 


\^5  ^'\ 


C    ,t       '      '       C      Co  C    C         J       C       ', 

;   '  .  ,  •."•  •••  V»  •   i     ".''  '.'«    '.  c'»    .    ;   ;  "^  .-  .' 


COPYRIGHT    1903    BY    EVA    MARCH    TAPPAN 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


Published  October,   igos 


4048 


r^  o  -R, 


IN  MEMORY  OF  MY  UNCLE 

Mrij.  €\)M\t&  tlangOon  ^appan 

IN  WHOSE  LIBRARY 
THIS  BOOK  WAS  WRITTEN 


CONTENTS 


Faoe 

I.    The  Visits  of  the  Angel        .         .  1 

II.    The  Coming  of  the  Child           .  13 

III.  The  Childhood  of  Jesus         .         .  21 

IV.  The  Days  at  Nazareth       .         .  43 
V.   The  First  Followers       ...  59 

VI.   The  Young  Rabbi         ...  71 

VII.    Signs  and  Wonders          ...  85 

VIII.   Jesus  and  the  Pharisees    .         .  Ill 

IX.   The  Parables 129 

X.    Sending  forth  the  Disciples      .  145 

XI.   Words  of  Sadness    ....  167 

XII.   Who  are  the  Greatest  ?     .         .  183 

XIII.  In  the  Land  of  the  Samaritans  .  199 

XIV.  Are  you  the  Christ  ?  .         .         .  217 
XV.   How  to  give  a  Feast      .         .         .  231 

XVI.    Sorrow  in  Bethany      .         .         .  245 

XVII.   Jesus  and  the  Children         .         .  259 

XVIII.     HOSANNA    TO    THE    SON    OF   DaVID  !  275 

XIX.   The  Boys  sing  Praises    .        .        .289 

XX.    Farewell  to  the  Temple    .         .  309 

XXI.    The  Passover  Supper      .         .         .  325 

XXII.   Crucify  him  !   Crucify  him  !       .  347 

XXIII.  The  Way  of  the  Cross  .        .         .371 

XXIV.  The  Lord's  Day    ....  391 
XXV.    I  GO  TO  THE  Father         ...         .  405 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

the  decorative  designs  on  the  chapter  titles  are 
from  drawings  by  k.  pollak 

Page 

Presentation  in  the  Temple  (page  24).     Vit- 
tore  Carpaccio       ....  Frontispiece 

The  Angel  Gabriel  appearing  to  the  Vir- 
gin Mary.     H.  Hofmann       ....  1 

The  INIeeting  of  Mary  and  Elizabeth.     L. 

Albertinelli  .......  8 

Arrival  of  the  Shepherds.     H.  LeBolle      .  13 

Bethlehem  (from  a  photograph)   ...  16 

The  Holy  Family.     M.  Feuerstein          .         .  18 

Jesus  among  the  Doctors.     H.  Hofmann  .  21 

The  Madonna.     P.  A.  J.  Dagnan-Bouveret    .  30 

The  Repose  in  Egypt.     L.   0.  Merson         .  34 
Nazareth  (from  a  photograph)         .         .         .36 

First  View  of  Jerusalem.      0.  Mengelberg  38 

The  Days  at  Nazareth.     H.  Hofmann          .  43 

The  Jordan  (from  a  photograph)          .         .  52 

The  Baptism  of  Christ.     Frank  V.  Du3Iond  59 

Christ  by  the  Sea.     Alexander  Bida          .  64 

Turning  Water  into  \Yine.    Paolo  Veronese  68 

Jesus  in  the  Synagogue.     Alexander  Bida  71 
Jesus    and    the  Woman    of    Samaria.      L. 

Azamhre  ........  82 


STATE  NORKii! 


viii  LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Jesus  and  the  Fishermen.     E.  Zimmermann     85 
Letting  down  the  Sick  Man.   Alexander  Bida  100 
The  Woman  bathing  Jesus'  Feet.     H.  Hof- 
mann        ........  Ill 

Jesus  raising   the   Widow   of   Nain's  Son. 
H.  Hofmann         ......       120 

Parable  of  the  Sower,  H.  L.  Robert  .  .  129 
Jairus'  Daughter.  H.  Hofmann  .  .  142 
Jesus  preaching.  '  H.  Hofmann  .  .  .  145 
Christ  the  Healer.  E.  Zimmermann  .  150 
Jesus  walking  on  the  Sea.  Gustav  Dare  158 
Jesus  and  St.  John.  Ary  Scheffer  .  .  167 
Site  of  Tyre  (from  a  photograpli)  .  .  170 
The  Transfiguration.  Raphael  .  .  .  180 
"As  Humble  as  this   Little   Child."     Carl 

Muller 183 

Site  of  Capernaum  (from  a  photograph)         .  188 
The  Good  Samaritan.     K.  Slemenroth        .       199 
The  Eoad  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  (from 
a  photograph)  ......  206 

The  Good  Samaritan.     Rembrandt     .         .       208 
Jesus   with    Mary    and   Martha   at   Beth- 
any.    H.  Hofmann  .         .         .         .         .  210 

Jesus  among  the  Pharisees.     Gustav  Dore      217 
The  Beggar  outside  the  Rich  Man's  House. 
Gustav  Dore        ......       231 

Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son.  Batoni  .  240 
Raising  of  Lazarus.     Rubens     .        .         .       245 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

J^sus  AND  THE  CHILDREN.  H.  Hofmanii  .  259 
Jesus  and  the  Rich  Young  Man,     If.   Hof- 

mann   ........       264 

Site  of  Jericho  (from  a  photograph)  .  .  270 
Christ  entering  Jerusalem.  Gustav  Dor'e  275 
Jerusalem  (from  a  photograph)  .  .  .  284 
Jesus  clearing  the  Temple.  H.  Hofmann  289 
Jesus  and  the  Tribute  Money.  Titian  .  302 
The  Widow's  Mite.  Martin  de  Vos  .  .  309 
Jesus  bathing   Peter's   Feet.      Ford  Madox 

Brown     ........  325 

Jesus  Bidding    his    Mother   Farewell.     B. 

Plockhorst 328 

The  C-enaculum  (said  to  be  the  House  of  the 

Last  Supper  —  from  a  photograph)  .  .  330 
The  Last  Supper.  Leonardo  da  Vinci  .  336 
Christ  in  Gethsemane.  E.  H.  Liska  .  .  340 
Pilate  shows  Jesus  to  the  People.  A.  Ciseri  345 
The  Betrayal.  C.  Aug.  Geiger  .  .  .  350 
The  Denial  of  Peter.  Graf  Harrach  .  .  356 
Jesus  before  Pilate.  M.  Munkacsy  .  .  362 
On  the  Road  to  Calvary.  Raphael  .  .  371 
Jesus     leaving    the    Pr^torium.        Gustav 

Bore 376 

The  Crucifixion.      Van  Byck  .         .         .  380 

Golgotha.  T.  S.  Gerome  ....  384 
Mourning.  Van  Byck  .....  386 
He  is  risen.     B.  Flockhorst ....       391 


X  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Peter  and    John  hastening  to    the    Tomb. 

JSug.  Bicr?iand  ......  394 

Christ  appearing  to  Mart  Magdalene.     Cor- 

reggio   ........       396 

The  Supper  at  Emmaus  (from  a  Copley  print, 

copyright  by  Curtis  Cameron).  S.  U Hermitte  400 
The  Ascension.     H.  Hofmann  .         .         .  405 

Jesus  and  St.  Thomas.     Guercino       .        .      408 


Cije  €i)xist  g»torp 


— — »-M 

^^beV^it^  of thc^^[ry6cl  <^  j 


tt,    _  /^- 


THE  CHRIST  STORY 


THE    VISITS    OF    THE    ANGEL 

The  little  town  of  Nazareth  lay  on  the  slope 
of  a  hill  just  above  a  fair  green  valley  in  the 
country  of  Galilee.    It  was  a  pretty  town,  for 
the  white  houses  gleamed  in  the  sunshine  as 
if  they  were  made  of  marble.    All  about  them 
were  gardens,  and  orchards  of  olive,  fig,  and 
orange  trees,  while  far  above  the  others  rose 
the  stately  palms.     One  could  hear  the  coo- 
^  ing  of  doves  and  the   sweet  notes  of  larks 
^  and  song  thrushes.     Sparrows  and  swallows 
'  and  bright  blue  roller  birds  flitted  across  the 
sky.     The    narrow    streets    climbed   the  hill, 
^  growing  narrower   at   every  step,  until  they 
became  only  winding  paths,  roaming  up,  up, 
among  marigolds,  red  anemones,  wild  gerani- 
ums, pink  and  white  rock  roses,  and  morning 
olories.     From  the  summit  one  could  see  the 
hills  all  around,  the  valley  below  the  town,  with 
its  fields  and  gardens  divided,  not  by  fences, 


4  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

but  by  hedges  of  cactus,  and,  looking  far  to 
the  west,  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean. 

In  this  town  on  the  hillside  lived  a  gentle, 
thoughtful,  Jewish  girl,  whose  name  was  Mary. 
She  was  descended  from  the  great  King 
David,  but  she  lived  as  simply  as  any  other 
young  girl  of  the  place,  helping  to  take  care 
of  the  house,  bringing  water  from  the  foun- 
tain, spinning,  weaving,  gathering  wood  for 
the  fire,  grinding  corn,  and  baking  bread. 

Toward  the  end  of  one  of  the  long  after- 
noons of  spring,  the  work  of  the  day  had  been 
finished,  and  she  was  alone.  It  was  almost 
sunset.  In  the  hollows  of  the  hills  around 
Nazareth  were  deep  shadows,  but  the  sunshine 
still  brightened  every  summit  and  lighted  up 
the  valley  to  a  golden  green.  The  twilight 
was  deepening,  but  suddenly  a  light  was  round 
about  her,  and  in  the  light  there  stood  an 
angel.  His  wings  were  white  and  shining. 
He  was  tall  and  strong  and  beautiful,  for  he 
was  Gabriel,  who  stands  ever  in  the  presence 
of  God.  His  face  was  kind  and  gentle ;  and 
while  Mary  gazed  at  him,  half  in  wonder  and 
half  in  fear,  he  looked  straight  into  her  eyes 
and  said  slowly,  "  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly 
favored.     The  Lord  is  with  thee.     Blessed  art 


THE  VISITS   OF  THE  ANGEL  5 

thou  amons:  women."  What  did  it  mean? 
Mary  could  not  speak ;  she  could  only  look 
into  the  face  of  the  angfel  and  wait  to  hear 
what  message  he  might  have  brought  to  her. 

The  angel  knew  that  she  was  troubled,  and 
he  said  to  her,  "  Fear  not,  Mary,  for  you  have 
found  favor  with  God."  Then  when  he  saw 
that  she  was  no  longer  afraid,  he  gave  her  the 
most  wonderful  message  that  was  ever  brought 
to  a  woman  in  all  the  years  since  the  world 
began.  "  In  the  days  that  are  to  come,"  he 
said,  "  God  will  send  you  a  child.  His  name 
shall  be  Jesus,  and  he  shall  be  called  the  Son 
of  the  Highest.  God  will  give  him  the  throne 
of  David  forever." 

"  How  can  this  be  ?  "  Mary  asked  ;  but  the 
angel  answered  only,  "  The  power  of  the  High- 
est shall  overshadow  you,  and  the  child  shall 
be  called  the  Son  of  God."  It  was  all  so 
strange  that  the  young  girl  did  not  know  even 
what  question  to  ask,  but  she  said  meekly,  "  I 
am  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  let  it  be  with 
me  as  you  have  said."  The  face  of  the  angel 
grew  still  more  radiant  as  he  gazed  tenderly 
upon  her,  and  then  he  went  away. 

All  through  the  silent  night  Mary  thought 
about  the  words  that  the  angel  had  spoken. 


6  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Every  Jewish  woman  longed  to  be  the  mother 
of  a  son.  The  Jews  had  been  conquered  by 
the  Romans,  but  they  hoped  that  some  day  a 
child  would  be  born  among  them  who  would 
become  so  powerful  a  leader  that  he  would 
free  his  people  from  their  tyrant  rulers,  and 
would  himself  become  king  of  the  Jews.  The 
Holy  Scriptures  promised  that  this  should  be, 
and  the  people  believed  that  the  time  of  his 
birth  was  near.  All  her  life  Mary  had  known 
of  the  promise,  but  she  had  never  dreamed 
that  she  mig-ht  become  the  mother  of  this  sav- 
iour  of  his  nation.  "  The  throne  of  David  !  " 
she  thought  joyfully.  She  was  indeed  blessed 
among  women ;  she  was  the  happiest  woman 
in  all  Galilee.  But  the  angel  had  said  that 
this  great  leader  and  king  would  be  called  the 
Son  of  God.  "  The  Son  of  God,"  she  whis- 
pered to  herself.  "  What  can  that  mean  ?  " 
All  niofht  she  thouo^ht  and  wondered.  Then 
she  remembered  other  words  that  the  angel 
had  spoken.  "  Your  cousin  Elisabeth,"  he 
had  said,  "  has  long  given  up  hoping  for  a 
child,  but  now  in  her  old  age  God  will  give 
her  a  son."  "  Perhaps  Elisabeth  can  help  me 
to  understand  those  strange  words,"  thought 
Mary.     "  I  will  go  to  her." 


THE  VISITS  OF  THE  ANGEL  7 

When  the  morning  came,  she  said  to  her 
friends,  "I  should  like  to  go  to  the  hill  country 
to  visit  my  cousin  Elisabeth."  So  she  bade 
farewell  to  her  family  and  to  one  other  who 
was  not  of  her  kindred,  Joseph,  a  carpenter 
of  the  town.  He  was  a  faithful,  upright  man, 
and  he  loved  Mary  with  his  whole  heart.  She 
had  promised  in  the  presence  of  their  friends 
and  relatives  to  become  his  wife.  Often  the 
bride  did  not  go  to  her  husband's  home  for 
some  months  after  this  solemn  betrothal,  but 
it  was  looked  upon  as  almost  the  same  as  a 
marriage.  Yet  she  could  not  tell  even  Joseph 
of  the  visit  of  the  angel  and  his  mysterious 
words. 

She  set  out  in  haste  to  find  Elisabeth. 
It  was  not  an  easy  journey.  She  must  walk, 
for  there  was  no  money  in  the  little  household 
to  pay  for  the  hire  of  an  ass.  There  was  dan- 
ger of  robbers,  so  she  joined  a  party  of  travel- 
ers who  were  going  into  the  land  of  Judea. 
Eor  five  days  they  made  their  way  to  the  south- 
ward, through  olive  groves  and  vineyards,  by 
great  fields  of  growing  corn,  past  ancient  tombs 
and  cisterns  hewn  out  of  the  sohd  rock.  The 
path  wound  about  cliifs,  along  the  edge  of 
precipices,  across  the  fording  places  of  rivers. 


8  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

through  dark  and  silent  ravines,  past  Httle 
villages  of  flat-roofed  houses,  and  across  mea- 
dows  where  the  Hly  and  crocus  and  tuKp  grew. 
In  the  morning  and  evening  the  travelers 
pressed  onward.  At  noon,  when  the  sun  was 
hot,  they  rested,  and  when  night  had  come, 
they  encamped  in  some  sheltered  place  to 
sleep. 

On  the  fifth  day  the  journey  came  to  its  end 
and  Mary  stood  before  the  door  of  Zacharias, 
the  husband  of  Elisabeth.  "  Peace  be  unto 
you,"  said  Mary,  for  that  was  the  usual  greet- 
mg  in  those  days.  "  And  to  you  be  peace," 
was  the  answer  that  she  expected,  and  she  was 
much  surprised  Avlien  Elisabeth,  the  quiet, 
elderly  woman,  cried  in  the  very  words  of  the 
angel,  "  Blessed  art  thou  among  women ! 
Why  am  I  so  honored  that  the  mother  of  my 
Lord  has  come  to  me  ?  "  Then  Mary  knew 
that  she  might  talk  freely  with  Ehsabeth  about 
the  coming  of  the  angel.  She  did  not  under- 
stand why  the  child  that  was  to  come  to  her 
should  be  called  the  Sou  of  God,  or  why 
Elisabeth  had  called  him  Lord,  but  she  was 
very  happy,  and  she  chanted  a  song  of  rejoi- 
cing :  "  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and 
my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour." 


THE    MEETING   OF    MARY   AND    ELIZABETH 


THE  VISITS  OF  THE  ANGEL  9 

The   two  women    talked   together   of   the 
visit  of  the  angel,  of  the  freedom  that  was  to 
come  to  their  people,  and  of  what  the  myste- 
rious words,  "  Son  of  God,"  "  Son  of  the  High- 
est," could  mean.     Then  Elisabeth,  too,  had 
a  wonderfid  story  to  tell.     "  It  was  the   turn 
of  Zacharias  to  minister  at  the  Temple  in  Je- 
rusalem," she  said,  "and  the  lot  had  fallen  to 
him  to  sprinkle  the  incense  upon  the   altar. 
He  put  on  the  white  robe,  he  bathed  his  hands 
and  his  feet  in  the  brazen  laver,  and   then  he 
went  through  the  great  golden  doors  into  the 
Holy  Place.     There  was  the  table  of  shew- 
bread,  there  were  the  seven  golden  lamps  that 
burn  night  and  day,  and  there  was  the  altar 
of  incense.     There  was  nothing  between  him 
and  the  awful  Holy  of  HoHes,  where  God  him- 
self dwells,  but  the  golden  gates  and  the  cur- 
tains of  blue  and   scarlet  and  purple.     The 
little  bell  tinkled,  the  coals  were  laid  upon  the 
altar,  and  he  was  alone.     He  sprinkled  the 
incense,  and  he  prayed  for  the  people  of  Israel ; 
and  as  the  fragrant  smoke  rose  to  heaven,  so 
rose  also  the  prayers  of  all  the  people  who 
were  waiting  in  the  Temple  for  him  to  come 
out  and  give  them  his  blessing.     And  as  he 
bowed  before  the  altar,  he  saw  the  strong  an- 


10  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

gel  Gabriel  standing  before  bim  on  tbe  right 
side  of  the  altar.      My   husband  was  afraid, 
but  the  angel  said, '  Fear  not,  Zacharias.     God 
has  heard  your  prayer.     You  shall  have  a  son, 
and  you  shall  call  his  name  John,  for  he  is  the 
gift  of  God.     You  shall  be  glad  and  happy 
in  him,  for  he  will  make  the  people  ready  for 
the  comine:  of  the  Lord.'     Now  we  had  wished 
so  many  years  that  a  son  might  be  born  to  us 
that  my    husband    could   hardly   believe   his 
prayer  was  answered  at  last,  and  he  begged 
of  the  angel,  '  Give  me  a  sign,  I  pray  you,  that 
I  may  be  sure  of  this.'     Then  the  angel  said, 
^  This  is  the  sign.     You  shall  not  be  able  to 
speak  a  word  till  these  things  have  come  to 
pass.'     The  people  in  the  Temple  could  not 
understand  why  he   stayed  so  long.      They 
besfan  to  wonder  if  he  could  have  committed 
some  sin,  or  if  he  had  not  prayed  and   sprin- 
kled the  incense  in  the   way  that   God  had 
commanded,  and  therefore  death  had  come  to 
him  in  the  Holy  Place.     At  last  he  came  out 
and  hfted  up  his  hands  to  bless  them,  but  he 
could  not  speak.     His  face  shone  with  joy, 
and  the  people  whispered  to  one  another,  '  He 
must  have  seen  a  vision.'     He  beckoned  to 
them  and  tried  to  tell  them  by  signs,  but  they 


THE  VISITS  OF  THE  ANGEL  11 

could  not  understand.  Then  he  came  home 
to  me,  and  we  have  been  so  happy  ever  since 
that  day." 

So  it  was  that  Mary  and  Elisabeth  talked 
together  through  the  long,  bright  weeks  of 
the  summer.  Mary  stayed  in  the  hill  country 
three  months,  and  then  she  went  back  to  Naz- 
areth and  to  Joseph. 

A  vision  had  come  to  Joseph,  too,  the  hard- 
working carpenter,  the  quiet,  silent  man  with 
the  strong  hand  and  the  tender  heart.  As  he 
slept,  an  angel  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream 
and  said,  "Joseph,  take  your  wife  Mary  to 
your  home.  She  shall  have  a  son,  and  he  is 
the  child  that  God  promised  many  years  ago 
should  some  day  come  to  save  his  people." 
Then  Joseph  took  Mary  to  his  own  house,  and 
as  he  stood  at  the  carpenter's  bench  and  she 
did  the  work  of  the  little  home,  their  hearts 
were  full  of  joy  and  wonder  as  they  waited 
for  the  coming  of  the  child  who  was  to  be 
called  the  Son  of  God. 

It  was  in  those  days  that  the  son  of  Zacha- 
rias  and  Elisabeth  was  born,  he  who  was  to 
make  the  people  ready  for  the  coming  of  the 
Lord.  The  house  was  thronged  with  neigh- 
bors and  kinsfolk,  who  had  come  to  rejoice 


12  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

with  Elisabeth  that  at  last  she  was  the  mother 
of  a  son.  They  supposed  that  he  would  be 
called  Zacharias,  after  the  name  of  his  father, 
but  Elisabeth  said,  "  No ;  he  is  to  be  called 
John."  "  None  of  your  family  ever  had  that 
name,"  they  said,  but  she  only  smiled  and 
repeated,  "He  is  to  be  called  John."  The 
people  were  so  surprised  that  they  turned  to 
Zacharias  and  asked  what  he  wished  the  child 
to  be  named.  Zacharias  could  not  sjieak,  but 
he  made  signs  that  he  wanted  a  writing  tab- 
let, and  on  it  he  wrote,  "  His  name  is  John." 
Then  the  power  to  speak  came  to  him  again, 
and  as  he  looked  at  the  child,  God  put  it  into 
his  heart  to  say,  "  Thou  shalt  go  before  the 
face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  his  ways."  The 
friends  and  kinsfolk  were  astonished  and  half 
afraid,  and  all  the  way  home  they  talked  about 
these  strange  things.  They  told  their  neigh- 
bors, and  the  people  living  in  the  hill  country 
of  Judea  all  wondered  what  the  child  would 
become ;  but  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  talked 
together  reverently  of  that  other  Child  who 
was  to  come  to  Mary,  of  him  for  whom  their 
child  was  to  prepare  the  people,  of  him  who 
was  to  be  called  the  Son  of  God. 


n 

THE    COMING    OF    THE    CHILD 

While  Mary  and  Joseph  were  living  quietly 
in  their  little  home,  the  emperor,  Augustus 
Csesar,  ordered  that  all  the  people  in  his  em- 
pire should  be  counted  and  taxed.  The  Jews 
were  descended  from  the  twelve  sons  of  Jacob, 
and  it  was  proclaimed  throughout  their  land 
that  every  man  of  the  nation  must  go  to  have 
his  name  written  on  the  emperor's  list  in  what- 
ever city  had  been  the  home  of  the  son  from 
whom  he  was  descended.  Joseph,  as  well  as 
Mary,  was  descended  from  David,  and  so  he 
must  go  to  Bethlehem,  the  city  in  which  Da- 
vid's ancestor,  Judah,  had  made  his  home. 

The  emperor's  command  must  be  obeyed  at 
once,  but  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  Child 
was  near,  and  Joseph  could  not  leave  Mary 
alone.  What  should  they  do?  Then  Mary 
said,  "  I  will  go  to  Bethlehem  with  you.  The 
joujney  is  hard,  but  it  will  be  harder  to  stay 


16  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

alone  without  you  to  take  care  of  me."  So 
they  went  away  from  Nazareth,  Mary  riding 
on  an  ass  and  Joseph  walking  by  her  side. 
Hundreds  of  others  were  making  the  same 
journey.  Some  were  not  sorry  to  go  to  see 
places  that  were  new  to  them,  some  were 
angry  at  having  to  leave  their  homes.  Some 
complained  of  the  roughness  of  the  roads,  but 
others  only  laughed  at  the  discomforts.  Joseph 
and  Mary  kept  a  little  apart  from  the  rest  of 
the  company,  for  they  were  thinking  of  the 
Child  who  should  be  the  king  of  his  people. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  gates  of  Bethle- 
hem, and  went  slowly  up  the  steep  and  narrow 
streets  into  the  town.  Mary  was  very  tired, 
and  she  must  rest ;  but  where  should  they 
find  shelter  ?  The  people  of  that  land  were 
always  ready  to  welcome  strangers  to  their 
homes,  but  the  guest  chambers  of  the  houses 
of  Bethlehem  had  long  before  been  given  up 
to  those  who  had  come  first.  Joseph  asked 
at  one  house  after  another,  "  Is  there  room  for 
us  here  ?  "  But  every  house  was  full.  The 
streets  were  thronged  with  visitors  ;  never  be- 
fore had  the  town  been  so  crowded.  "  Per- 
haps we  can  find  room  at  the  inn,"  he  said, 
and  they  went  to  the  inn.     This  was  hardly 


M 

K 
a 
J 


03 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  CHILD  17 

more  than  a  great  empty  building,  but  there 
the  traveler  could  find  water,  a  place  to  spread 
the  mat  on  which  he  slept,  and  all  the  shelter 
that  was  usually  needed  in  so  warm  a  climate. 
"  Is  there  room  for  us  here  ?  "  he  asked ;  but 
the  answer  was,  "  No  ;  the  inn  is  full."  Near 
the  inn  was  a  kind  of  cave  cut  into  the  soft 
rock,  where  the  cattle  were  kept.  It  was  bet- 
ter to  stay  in  the  cave  than  to  be  under  the 
open  sky,  so  Joseph  spread  straw  on  the 
ground  and  laid  the  mat  upon  it.  There  they 
slept,  and  there  it  was  that  the  Child  was  born 
who  was  to  be  called  the  Son  of  God.  He 
was  wraj)ped  in  a  long  band  of  cloth,  which 
the  people  called  swaddHng  clothes,  and  was 
laid  in  a  manger. 

Mary  rested,  and  Joseph  watched  and 
guarded,  that  no  harm  should  come  to  her  and 
to  the  Child.  The  cattle  chewed  the  cud  and 
looked  about  them  with  gentle,  wondering 
eyes.  The  stars  grew  brighter,  the  night 
more  silent.  Suddenly  Joseph  heard  hasty 
footsteps.  There  was  a  little  swinging  lamp 
at  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and  although  it 
gave  only  a  dim  light,  he  could  see  men  bend- 
ing forward  and  peering  in.  He  raised  his 
hand  and  whispered  "  Hush  !  "  but  the  men 


18  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

did  not  seem  to  hear  him.  They  were  gazing 
at  the  Child,  who  lay  in  the  manger,  and  they 
cried  joyfully,  "  The  Christ  of  God  !  The 
Lord  has  remembered  his  people." 

Then  they  told  a  wonderful  story.  "We  are 
the  shepherds  of  the  flocks  of  the  Temple," 
they  said,  "  and  as  we  sat  in  the  field  and  kept 
watch  by  night,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood 
by  us,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round 
about  us,  and  we  were  afraid.  But  the  angel 
said,  *  Fear  not,  for  I  bring  you  good  tidings 
of  great  joy  that  is  come  to  all  people.'  Then 
he  pointed  toward  Bethlehem  and  said, '  There 
is  born  to  you  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a 
Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord.'  Now  we  had 
seen  no  signs  of  rejoicing,  though  we  thought 
that  even  out  on  the  hills  such  mighty  news 
as  that  might  well  have  come  to  us,  but  the 
angel  said,  '  This  is  the  sign :  You  shall  find 
a  babe  wrapj3ed  in  swaddling  clothes  and  lying 
in  a  manger.'  And  suddenly  there  was  with 
the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host, 
praising  God  and  saying,  *  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will 
toward  men.'  Then  we  said  to  one  another, 
'  Let  us  go  to  Bethlehem  and  find  the  Christ.' 
We  came  with  haste,  and  now  we  have  found 


THE    HOLV    FAMILY 


THE   COMING  OF  THE   CHILD  19 

him  who  is  the  Christ  of  God."  The  shep- 
herds gazed  worshipfully  upon  the  Child,  but 
they  could  not  stay  long,  for  the  sheep  in  their 
care  must  be  watched  and  guarded  from  wild 
beasts.  So  in  the  early  morning  they  went 
down  the  streets  of  Bethlehem.  They  were  so 
happy  that  they  cried  aloud,  "  Emmanuel, 
Emmanuel !  The  Lord  is  with  his  people  ! 
Praise  God,  the  Christ  is  come  !  "  and  all  that 
heard  them  wondered  what  the  cries  could 
mean. 

In  the  stable  of  the  inn  the  Child  slept 
peacefully,  Mary  lay  and  thought  about  every 
word  that  the  shepherds  had  spoken,  and 
Joseph  sat  leaning  against  the  rough  wall  of 
the  cave.  He,  too,  was  thinking.  He  re- 
membered that  some  men  of  his  nation  were 
rich  and  learned,  that  some  were  priests  and 
served  in  the  beautiful  Temple  in  Jerusalem. 
"  I  am  only  a  village  carpenter,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  but  God  has  given  me  the  care  of 
his  Christ."  He  was  too  happy  to  sleej),  and 
he  whispered,  "  The  Christ,  the  Lord's  Christ ! 
The  Saviour  of  my  people  !  The  King  !  And 
God  will  let  me  care  for  him  !  Blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 


"¥^ 


Ill 

THE    CHILDHOOD    OF   JESUS 

When  a  Jewish  boy  was  eight  days  old,  a 
name  was  given  him,  and  then  he  was  looked 
upon  as  being  really  a  member  of  the  nation. 
The  Jews  felt  that  this  was  an  important  occa- 
sion, for  although  they  were  no  longer  free, 
they  still  believed  that  God  loved  them  better 
than  any  other  people.  Joseph  gave  to  the 
Child  the  name  of  Jesus,  or  saviour,  as  the 
angel  had  bidden.  Forty  days  after  a  boy  was 
born  there  was  another  important  ceremony, 
for  the  little  one  was  taken  to  the  Temple  to 
be  presented  to  the  Lord. 

This  is  why,  when  Jesus  was  six  weeks  old, 
he  was  carried  by  his  mother  and  Joseph  down 
the  hill  of  Bethlehem  and  all  the  way  to  Je- 
rusalem. They  went  through  the  gate  and  up 
into  the  city  to  the  height  on  which  stood  the 
beautiful  Temple  of  marble  and  gold,  of  mosaic 
and  curiously  cavven  cedar  wood,  the  Temple 


24  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

of  nine  magnificent  gates,  of  costly  curtains  of 
purple  and  scarlet,  of  golden  doors  overhung 
■with  golden  grapes  in  clusters  as  large  as  the 
body  of  a  man.  Every  Jewish  mother  must 
go  to  the  house  of  God  to  thank  him  for  her 
child,  and  give  a  lamb  for  sacrifice  on  the  al- 
tar ;  or  if  she  was  too  poor  to  buy  a  lamb,  she 
must  bring  a  pair  of  turtle  doves  or  two  young 
pigeons.  Mary  and  Joseph  could  not  afford 
a  lamb,  so  they  brought  a  pair  of  doves.  The 
great  silver  trumpets  were  blown  to  tell  all 
around  that  it  w^as  the  hour  of  the  morning 
sacrifice.  Mary  gave  to  the  priest  the  little 
wicker  cage  in  which  the  two  doves  were,  and 
they  were  offered  up  on  the  altar. 

Then  came  the  ceremony  of  presenting  the 
Child  Jesus.  The  Jews  believed  that  every 
firstborn  son  belonged  especially  to  God,  but 
that,  if  the  parents  did  not  wish  him  to  remain 
in  the  Temple  and  aid  in  the  service,  they  might 
free  him  by  paying  a  piece  of  silver  money. 
Joseph  laid  Jesus  in  the  arms  of  the  priest 
who  was  ministering  in  the  Temple.  "  My  wife 
is  an  Israelite,"  he  said,  "  and  this  is  her  first- 
born son."  "  Will  you  give  him  up  to  Jeho- 
vah ?  "  asked  the  priest,  "  or  will  you  redeem 
him  by  paying  five  shekels  ?  "     "  Take  the 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  25 

five  shekels,"  answered  Joseph.  Then  the 
priest  said,  "  This  money  is  instead  of  this 
child."  He  laid  his  hands  upon  the  Child's 
forehead  and  prayed,  "  The  Lord  bless  and 
preserve  thee.  God  keep  thee  from  all  evil 
and  save  thy  soul." 

The  priest  had  many  times  received  money 
to  redeem  firstborn  sons,  and  he  did  not  see 
that  this  child  was  different  from  others,  but 
in  Jerusalem  there  was  an  old  man  named 
Simeon  ;N|V'ho  had  prayed  for  many  years  that 
he  miffht  see  the  Christ  before  be  died.  God 
had  promised  to  grant  his  wish,  and  this  day, 
as  he  came  into  the  Temple,  he  saw  the  Child 
and  took  him  in  his  arms  and  praised  God. 
Then  he  prayed  aloud,  "  Lord,  now  lettest 
thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according 
to  thy  word,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  sal- 
vation." He  gave  his  blessing  to  Mary  and 
Joseph,  and  went  away  with  joy  and  thankful- 
ness. As  he  left  them,  a  holy  woman  named 
Anna  drew  near,  who  was  also  very  old.  She, 
too,  spent  days  and  nights  in  prayer,  and  she, 
too,  was  lono;incf  to  see  the  Lord's  Christ. 
"When  she  saw  Mary  and  Joseph  and  the 
Child,  God  told  her  that  this  was  the  Christ, 
who  had  come  at  last.    "  Thanks  be  to  our  own 


/ 


26  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

God,"  she  said,  and  she  was  so  happy  that  she 
cried  to  all  the  people  around,  "  God  is  good 
to  the  sons  of  Israel.  He  has  remembered  his 
promise  and  has  sent  us  the  Christ."  She 
gazed  upon  the  face  of  the  Child  as  if  she 
could  not  turn  away,  but  at  last  she  said  fare- 
well. Then  Mary  and  Joseph  and  the  Child 
went  back  to  Bethlehem. 

In  Bethlehem  they  lingered  week  after  week. 
Their  ancestors  had  lived  in  that  town,  and 
there  must  have  been  many  places  that  they 
wished  to  visit  and  kinsfolk  whom  they  were 
glad  to  meet.  The  crowds  that  had  come  to 
have  their  names  written  on  the  emperor's  list 
had  returned  to  their  homes,  the  guest  cham- 
bers were  vacant,  and  the  family  could  find  a 
welcome  in  some  one  of  the  houses  of  the  vil- 
lage. There  was  always  work  for  a  carpenter, 
wherever  he  might  go,  and  Joseph's  own  hands 
could  easily  earn  enough  to  support  his  loved 
ones.  They  did  not  need  many  things.  They 
were  comfortable  if  they  had  a  mat  to  sleep 
on,  some  fruit  or  vegetables,  and  a  little  grain 
crushed  between  the  millstones  of  a  friend. 

While  they  were  staying  in  Bethlehem,  the 
people  of  Jerusalem,  six  miles  away,  were 
greatly  excited  at  the  arrival  of  some  strangers 


THE   CHILDHOOD   OF  JESUS  27 

from  distant  lands.  They  were  rich,  they  rode 
on  camels,  servants  came  with  them  to  wait  on 
them  and  to  fight  if  there  was  danger  from 
robbers.  Their  robes  were  dyed  with  the 
priceless  dyes  of  the  far-away  countries  of  the 
East,  and  in  the  golden  fringes  of  their  saddle 
cloths  little  golden  bells  tinkled  musically  as 
the  camels  strode  up  to  the  gates  of  the  city. 
The  people  of  Jerusalem  were  used  to  the  vis- 
its of  strangers  who  came  to  buy  or  to  sell,  to 
worship  at  the  Temple,  or  to  pay  court  to  King 
Herod,  whom  the  Roman  emperor  had  sent  to 
rule  their  land ;  but  these  men  had  nothing  to 
sell,  they  did  not  go  to  the  palace  of  the  king, 
and  they  did  not  even  turn  their  eyes  toward 
the  magnificent  Temple  on  the  hill,  though  it 
gleamed  and  glittered  in  the  morning  sunshine. 
They  were  grave  and  silent  and  dignified. 
When  they  spoke  to  one  another,  they  spoke 
in  an  unknown  tongue.  Who  could  they  be  ? 
The  people  called  them  the  "  Wise  Men,"  but 
no  one  could  guess  what  they  wanted.  Crowds 
followed  them  up  the  street.  Suddenly  the 
Wise  Men  stopped  and  looked  around  them 
as  if  they  were  puzzled,  and  spoke  together  in 
a  strange  language.  Then  one  of  them  turned 
to  the  crowd  and  asked,  in  the  tongue  of  the 


28  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Jews,  but  with  the  accent  of  a  foreigner, 
"  Where  is  he  ?  "  "  Who  ?  "  cried  the  crowd 
with  one  voice.  "  Where  is  the  king ? "  "In 
the  palace  with  the  Roman  eagle  over  the 
gate,"  the  people  answered.  The  Wise  Men 
shook  their  heads.  "  No,"  said  they,  "  where 
is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  We 
have  seen  his  star  in  the  East  and  have  come 
to  do  him  honor." 

Then  all  Jerusalem  was  interested.  Most 
people  believed  that  learned  men  who  watched 
the  heavens  could  tell  by  the  movements  of 
the  planets  what  was  to  happen  on  the  earth. 
"  Perhaps  the  Christ  is  really  come,"  the  Jews 
said.  "  He  will  free  us  from  the  Roman  em- 
peror and  become  king  of  the  world."  They 
forgot  the  Wise  Men  and  hurried  to  the 
Temple.  They  searched  through  and  through 
the  rolls  of  parchment  on  which  the  Holy 
Scriptures  were  written  to  make  sure  that  no 
prophecy  of  the  coming  of  Christ  had  been 
overlooked.  "  Israel  will  be  free,"  they  whis- 
pered to  one  another.  "  We  shall  not  have 
to  obey  King  Herod  much  longer." 

Herod  lived  in  a  magnificent  palace.  The 
Roman  eagle  was  over  its  gate,  to  show  that 
lie  had  been  made  king  by  the  emperor  of 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  29 

Rome.  All  things  about  him  were  rich  and 
beautiful,  but  he  was  suffering  from  a  painful 
disease.  He  could  hardly  expect  to  live  long, 
but  he  meant  to  hold  firmly  to  his  kingdom 
while  he  did  live  and  to  punish  ef  ery  one  who 
opposed  him.  Only  a  little  before  this  time  a 
plot  had  been  formed  to  drive  him  from  his 
throne,  but  he  had  discovered  it,  and  the  lead- 
ers of  the  plot  had  been  strangled  or  burned 
alive.  When  Herod's  spies  told  him  how  ex- 
cited people  were  in  Jerusalem,  and  that  they 
believed  Christ  had  come  upon  the  earth  and 
would  soon  free  his  people  from  Rome,  Herod 
formed  a  shrewd  and  evil  plan.  First,  he  or- 
dered the  chief  priests  to  come  together  and 
with  them  the  scribes,  or  learned  men  whose 
business  it  was  to  teach  and  explain  the  reli- 
gious laws  and  ceremonies.  Then  he  said  to 
them,  "  I  should  like  to  know  more  of  Christ. 
Where  do  the  Scriptures  say  that  he  is  to  be 
born  ?  "  The  priests  and  scribes  answered, 
"  In  Bethlehem  in  Judea.  That  is  what  the 
prophecy  says."  Herod  rejoiced,  for  he 
thought  it  would  be  easy  to  find  the  Child  in 
Bethlehem,  so  he  sent  away  the  priests  and 
scribes  and  said  to  his  spies,  "  Go  and  find  the 
Wise  Men  and  bring  them  before  me." 


30  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

When  the  Wise  Men  had  come,  Herod 
treated  them  courteously  as  strangers  whom  he 
wished  to  honor.  "  But  tell  me  of  the  star," 
said  he.  "  When  did  it  appear,  and  what  do 
you  think  it  means?"  Then  the  Wise  Men 
told  him  that  it  was  the  custom  in  their  coun- 
try to  look  at  a  certain  part  of  the  heavens  to 
find  what  was  to  come  to  pass  in  Judea.  In 
that  part  they  had  seen  three  brilliant  planets, 
and  after  a  while  a  glowing  star,  or  comet,  had 
appeared  among  them.  "  That  means,"  said 
they,  "  that  a  great  man  is  born  in  this  land." 
"And  who  is  he?"  asked  Herod.  "The 
Jews  who  live  among  us  believe  that  the  time 
is  come  when  Christ  shall  be  born,  who  will 
become  ruler  of  the  world,"  answered  the 
Wise  Men.  The  star  had  been  first  seen 
some  months  before.  It  moved  toward  the 
west,  and  they  had  left  their  homes  and  made 
the  long  journey  over  mountains  and  deserts 
and  plains  to  follow  it,  for  they  hoped  to  find 
the  Christ-child  and  do  him  honor.  "  That  is 
well,"  said  Herod.  "I,  too,  should  be  glad 
to  see  the  Christ.  Do  you  go  to  Bethlehem 
and  search  out  the  young  child.  When  you 
have  found  him,  bring  me  word  so  that  I  may 
come  and  honor  him." 


THE   MADONNA 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  31 

Tlie  Wise  Men  left  Herod  and  went  their 
way.  They  were  very  happy,  for  the  star 
seemed  nearer  than  ever,  and  soon  it  stood 
over  one  of  the  houses  of  Bethlehem.  They 
went  into  the  house,  and  saw  the  young-  Child 
with  Mary  his  mother,  and  they  fell  down  be- 
fore him,  as  the  custom  was  when  one  wished 
to  show  respect.  Then  they  opened  their 
treasures  and  presented  gifts  to  him,  gold, 
frankincense,  and  myrrh.  "  King  Herod,  too, 
wishes  to  come  to  see  the  Child,"  they  said, 
"  and  we  will  hasten  back  at  the  break  of  day 
to  tell  where  he  may  be  found."  But  as  they 
slept,  they  dreamed,  and  in  the  dream  God 
warned  them  not  to  return  to  Herod ;  so  they 
went  back  to  their  own  country  another  way. 

When  Herod  saw  that  in  spite  of  all  his 
courteous  speeches  to  the  Wise  Men,  and  his 
pretended  eagerness  to  honor  the  Christ-child, 
they  had  not  believed  him  and  had  gone  back 
to  their  own  land,  he  was  very  angry,  and  he 
was  more  determined  than  ever  to  destroy  the 
Child.  "  This  is  surely  the  Christ,"  he  said 
to  himself,  "  and  if  he  lives,  he  will  become 
a  leader  of  the  Jews  and  drive  me  from  my 
throne."  Herod  had  already  murdered  his 
wife,  his  sons,  his  brother-in-law,  and  others 


32  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

of  his  kinsmen  and  friends.  The  death  of  a 
few  Httle  children  was  nothing  to  him,  and 
he  gave  the  order  that  every  baby  boy  in 
Bethlehem  should  be  killed.  To  make  sure 
that  the  Christ-child  was  among  those  that 
were  slain,  he  commanded  that  no  boy  under 
two  years  of  age  should  live ;  and  lest  even 
then  the  Child  should  escape,  he  told  his  offi- 
cers to  put  to  death  not  only  the  little  ones 
in  Bethlehem,  but  those  in  all  the  country 
about  the  town.  The  lonely  mothers  wept  and 
lamented,  but  King  Herod  rejoiced,  for  now 
he  was  sure  that  the  Leader  of  whom  he  was 
so  much  afraid  had  been  slain.  He  did  not 
know  that  before  the  murderers  began  their 
cruel  work,  God  had  sent  a  dream  to  Joseph 
n'^  and  had  said,  "  Arise,  and  take  the  Child  and 
his  mother  and  flee  into  Egypt,  for  Herod  will 
try  to  destroy  him." 

Joseph  arose,  and  without  waiting  for  the 
morning,  they  set  out  in  haste  for  the  land  of 
Egypt,  Mary  riding  on  the  ass  with  the  Child 
clasped  in  her  arms,  and  Joseph  walking  by 
her  side.  They  must  go  swiftly,  for  at  any 
moment  Herod  might  find  out  that  they  had 
fled ;  and  at  every  unusual  sound  they  looked 
behind  them,  fearing  that   his  soldiers  were 


THE   CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  33 

following  them.  They  had  gold,  the  gift  of 
the  Wise  Men,  and  they  might  have  rested  at 
the  inns,  but  they  were  afraid  that  the  spies 
of  Herod  would  be  watching  for  them  at  every 
public  place  and  among  every  company  of 
travelers.  It  was  safer  for  them  to  go  alone, 
to  make  their  way  by  winding  paths  rather 
than  by  the  more  traveled  roads,  and  to  en- 
camp under  the  open  sky  rather  than  sleep  in 
the  village  inns. 

It  was  just  a  year  since  Mary  had  gone  to 
her  cousin  Ehsabeth  with  her  questions  and 
wonderings.  How  much  had  happened  in 
those  few  months !  —  the  coming  of  the 
Child,  the  visit  of  the  shepherds,  the  blessing 
of  the  saintly  Simeon  and  Anna  in  the  Temple, 
and  last,  the  honor  sho^^ai  by  the  Wise  Men 
and  the  presentation  of  the  gifts  that  they  had 
brought.  They  were  strange  gifts  for  a  young 
babe :  gold,  the  tribute  to  a  king ;  frankin- 
cense, the  offering  of  the  priest ;  myrrh  — 
Mary  shuddered  at  the  thought,  for  myrrh 
was  the  bitter  gum  that  was  used  in  embalm- 
in  a*  the  dead. 

The  little  family  hastened  toward  Egypt,  and 
on  the  third  or  fourth  day  they  could  see  the 
blue  gleaming  of  a  river.     It  was  only  a  tiny 


34  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

stream,  but  on  one  side  was  the  land  ruled 
by  Herod,  and  on  the  other  side  was  Egypt, 
in  which  Herod  had  no  power.  They  went 
across  the  shallow  for  ding-place,  and  once 
on  the  farther  side,  they  needed  no  longer 
to  fear  what  Herod  could  do  to  them.  The 
Child  was  safe. 

Indeed  there  had  not  been  any  great  danger 
of  Herod's  soldiers  following  them,  for  Herod 
was  satisfied  that  the  Christ-child  had  been 
slain  amonp"  the  babies  whom  his  men  had 
murdered  in  Bethlehem,  and  he  went  on  in  his 
wicked  way  without  further  thought  of  the 
newborn  king  of  the  Jews.  After  a  while 
Joseph  dreamed  once  more,  and  in  his  dream 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  and  said, 
"  Arise,  Joseph,  and  take  the  Child  and  his 
mother  and  go  into  the  land  of  Israel,  for  they 
are  dead  that  wished  to  kill  him."  Then 
Joseph  and  Mary  and  the  Child  returned  to 
their  own  land.  They  would  have  been  glad 
to  go  to  Bethlehem,  the  city  of  their  ancestors, 
but  as  they  came  near  to  Judea  the  news 
reached  them  that  Archelaus,  the  most  cruel 
of  the  sons  of  Herod,  reigned  in  his  father's 
place.  Again  God  spoke  to  Joseph  in  a 
dream,  and  he  went  to  Galilee,  to  a  house  in 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  35 

the  village  of  Nazareth  —  perhaps  the  same 
one  to  which  he  had  first  brought  Mary. 

The  home  of  the  Child  Jesus  in  Nazareth 
was  a  white,  flat-roofed  dwelling,  with  one 
room  and  one  door.  A  shelf  ran  around  the 
room,  and  on  it  were  a  few  earthen  dishes  and 
the  mats  on  which  the  family  slept.  There 
was  also  a  small  round  table  on  which  they 
ate.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  hung  a  lamp, 
and  in  the  corner  was  a  chest  painted  with 
briffht  colors.  In  this  chest  were  the  thing's 
that  the  family  valued  most,  —  their  best 
clothes  and  copies  of  the  Scriptures  written  on 
parchment.  Outside  the  door  stood  the  earthen 
jars  that  were  kept  full  of  water  brought  from 
the  village  spring.  They  were  shaded  by  vines 
which  climbed  up  to  the  roof,  and  at  the  edge 
of  the  roof  sat  the  doves  cooing  together  and 
smoothing  their  feathers. 

Here  it  was  that  the  Holy  Child  played  in  the 
sunshine,  picked  the  flowers  that  bloomed  all 
around,  and  listened  to  the  songs  of  the  birds. 
It  was  the  custom  for  Jewish  boys  to  go  to 
school  at  six  years  of  age,  and  there  they  were 
taught  not  only  to  read,  and  perhaps  to  write, 
but  how  the  many  feasts  and  fasts  should  be 
kept  and  why  they  were  kept.    The  Child  Jesus 


3G  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

learned  these  things,  the  commandments,  the 
psalms,  and  all  the  ceremonies  that  the  Jew  was 
required  to  observe.  He  was  taught  that  it  was 
wrong  to  take  more  than  four  steps  from  his 
bed  in  the  morning  without  washing  his  hands 
and  face,  and  that  even  this  washing  must  be 
done  in  a  way  ordered  by  the  religious  law. 
The  pitcher  must  first  be  taken  in  the  right 
hand,  then  passed  into  the  left,  and  the  water 
must  be  poured  over  the  right  hand  three  times 
while  the  fingers  of  that  hand  were  open  and 
pointing  downwards.  Water  was  then  poured 
upon  the  left  hand  in  the  same  way,  the  face 
was  washed  three  times,  and  the  ceremony 
came  to  an  end  with  a  prayer.  When  it  was 
time  for  the  new  moon  to  appear,  the  villa- 
gers would  stand  outside  of  their  houses,  and 
as  soon  as  they  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
hght  they  would  cry,  "  Blessed  be  thou,  0 
Lord,  who  renewest  the  moons  !  "  The  most 
sacred  time  of  all  the  year  was  the  Passover 
season,  kept  as  a  reminder  of  the  night  when 
the  ano-el  of  death  took  the  life  of  the  first- 
born  son  in  each  Egyptian  family  but  "passed 
over  "  the  sons  of  the  Jews.  The  Passover 
supper  was  eaten  every  year  in  Jewish  homes. 
A  cup  of  wine  was  passed  to  each  guest  and 


CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  37 

e  head  of  the  family.  After  the 
.  >he  wine,  bitter  herbs,  unleavened 
breu.  d  ihe  roasted  Passover  lamb  were 
brought  in.  Then  the  youngest  child  present 
asked,  " Whrt  do  you  mean  by  this  service?" 
and  the  fath«^r  told  the  story  of  the  deHverance 
of  the  Israelites  from  the  hands  of  the  Egyp- 
tians. The  lamb  and  the  unleavened  bread 
were  eaten,  psalms  were  sung,  three  more  cups 
of  wine  were  drunk,  and  the  solemn  feast 
closed  with  a  blessing. 

All  Jews  wished  to  keep  the  Passover  in 
Jerusalem.  Joseph  and  Mary  went  every  year, 
and  when  the  Child  Jesus  was  twelve  years  o£ 
age  he  went  with  them.  He  went  to  services 
in  the  great  Temple  of  white  and  gold ;  he 
heard  the  blowino;  of  the  sacred  horns  to  tell 
that  the  time  for  slaying  the  lambs  of  sacrifice 
had  come  ;  and  he  heard  the  choirs  chanting 
the  psalms  of  David.  He  saw  the  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  persons  flocking  into  the  Holy 
City.  He  saw  the  men  of  the  Temple  go  out 
with  sickle  and  basket  to  cut  the  sheaf  of 
barley  that  was  threshed,  dried  over  a  sacred 
fire,  ground  into  fine  flour,  and  offered  up  to 
God  as  the  firstfruit  of  the  harvest.  He  saw 
far  to  the  south  of  the  Temple  the  Valley  of 


38  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Hinnom,  in  which  fires  blazed  day  and  night 
to  burn  the  refuse  of  the  city,  and  he  was  told 
that  in  the  old  days  of  worshiping  idols,  little 
children  had  been  thrown  into  the  flames  in 
sacrifice  to  the  heathen  gods. 

At  the  close  of  the  feast  thousands  of  people 
set  out  homeward  by  every  road  that  led  away 
from  Jerusalem.  Joseph  and  Mary  and  the 
Child  Jesus  were  to  travel  back  to  Nazareth 
with  one  of  the  groups,  made  up  chiefly  of 
their  neighbors  and  kinsfolk.  Soon  after  leav- 
ing the  city  their  band  would  separate  from 
the  whole  great  company,  but  until  that  time 
all  was  confusion.  Thousands  whose  homes 
lay  scattered  over  northern  Palestine  left  Je- 
rusalem at  the  same  time.  The  noise  and  con- 
fusion can  hardly  be  imagined.  There  was 
shouting  for  friends  who  could  not  be  found ; 
there  was  the  sound  of  blows  and  curses  as  the 
drivers  of  the  mules  urged  on  their  beasts ; 
there  were  shrieks  of  terror  as  some  little 
party  were  nearly  run  down  by  the  long  lines 
of  camels  ;  there  were  clouds  of  dust ;  there 
were  heavy  falls  and  screams  and  running  to 
and  fro.  It  would  have  been  bad  enousfh  in 
the  daytime,  but  it  was  so  much  cooler  after 
sunset  that  the  start  was  always  made  at  night, 


a 

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o 
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[X, 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  39 

and  in  the  flaring  of  the  torches  one  would 
catch  a  ghmpse  of  a  friend's  face,  and  then  it 
would  disappear  into  the  darkness.  Except 
for  the  danger  of  being  run  over,  people  felt 
less  anxiety  about  their  friends  than  one  would 
think ;  for  they  knew  that  each  would  find  his 
company  at  the  separating  of  the  roads,  and 
then  they  would  go  on  peacefully  through  the 
green  valleys  and  up  the  slopes  of  the  hills. 

The  Child  Jesus  was  not  with  Mary  and 
Joseph,  but  they  supposed  he  was  with  some 
of  their  kinsfolk.  Most  of  the  great  multitude 
would  scatter  before  the  coming  of  the  night, 
and  at  the  first  encampment  he  would  be  with 
them.  Nightfall  came,  but  the  Child  Jesus 
did  not  appear.  Mary's  face  grew  pale,  and 
she  sank  to  the  ground.  He  might  have 
been  trampled  down  in  the  wild  confusion  ; 
he  might  have  wandered  away  with  some  other 
company ;  perhaps  he  was  lost  to  her  forever. 
Joseph  went  about  with  set  face  and  long,  quick 
strides  to  every  Httle  group.  "  Have  you  seen 
my  Jesus  ?  "  he  cried.  "  No,"  was  the  an- 
swer. Not  one  person  had  seen  him  since  the 
night  before.  Then  Mary  and  Joseph  turned 
back  toward  Jerusalem,  Mary  weeping,  and 
Joseph  in  stern  anger  with  himself.     "  I  was 


40  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

the  man  chosen  of  God  to  care  for  the  Child, 
and  I  have  neglected  my  trust,"  he  thought. 
Over  and  over  he  groaned,  "  Unfaithful,  un- 
faithful ! "  They  went  to  one  house  after 
another,  to  every  little  tent  that  whitened  the 
hillside,  asking  at  each  one,  "  Have  you  seen 
my  Jesus?"  and  hearing  the  same  reply,  "No, 
we  have  not  seen  him."  For  three  days  they 
walked  about  the  city.  "  This  is  where  they 
went  to  cut  the  first  sheaf,"  said  Joseph,  "  and 
Jesus  was  with  them."  "  And  this  is  the 
path  that  leads  to  the  Temple,"  said  Mary. 
"  He  loved  to  go  to  the  Temple.  Let  us  go 
there  ! " 

So  up  the  hill  to  the  great  shining  Tem- 
ple they  went.  They  wandered  about  among 
the  stalls,  where  doves  were  sold  for  sacrifice 
and  money-changers  had  set  up  their  tables. 
They  went  mournfully  from  court  to  court, 
from  porch  to  porch.  Suddenly  Mary  cried, 
"  Listen !  I  hear  his  voice  ! "  And  she  has- 
tened along  the  corridor  and  into  a  court 
where  sat  men  who  were  wise  in  the  law, 
and  had  come  there  to  teach  whoever  wished 
to  be  instructed  by  them ;  and  here  was  the 
Child  Jesus,  listening  to  them  and  asking 
them  questions.     Mary  was  so  surprised  and 


THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  JESUS  41 

SO  liappy  that  she  could  not  speak,  and  as  she 
stood  leaning  against  a  pillar  she  saw  that 
those  teachers  of  the  people  —  men  who  had 
spent  their  lives  in  studying  the  law  —  were 
leaving  their  seats  and  pressing  closer  and 
closer  about  her  son,  asking  him  questions 
and  listening  to  his  answers  as  if  he  were  as 
old  and  as  wise  as  they. 

When  he  was  silent,  Mary  beckoned  to  him 
and  said,  "  Son,  why  have  you  done  this  ? 
For  three  days  we  have  searched  for  you,  sor- 
rowing." The  Child  Jesus  looked  surprised. 
He  put  his  hand  into  his  mother's  and  said, 
"  But  why  did  you  search  for  me  ?  Did  you 
not  know  that  I  should  be  in  my  Father's 
house  ?  " 


IV 

THE   DAYS   AT    NAZARETH 

Joseph  and  Mary  and  the  Child  went  back 
to  Nazareth.  But  now  Jesus  was  looked  upon 
as  no  longer  a  child  ;  for  with  the  Jews  a  boy 
of  thirteen  was  called  a  young  man,  and  must 
choose  a  trade  to  learn.  Jesus  chose  to  be  a 
carpenter,  and  Joseph  was  glad  to  teach  him 
how  to  use  the  hammer  and  saw  and  chisel. 
It  was  not  many  years  before  he  could  work 
as  skillfully  as  his  teacher.  He  grew  tall  and 
strong,  but  he  was  as  gentle  and  loving  as 
when  he  was  a  little  child,  and  he  obeyed 
Mary  and  Joseph  just  as  he  had  done  in  those 
days.  All  the  people  about  his  home  knew 
him  and  loved  him. 

When  he  and  his  mother  sat  together  at 
twilight,  she  must  have  told  him  about  the 
angel  who  had  promised  her  that  he  should 
become  king  of  his  nation,  and  about  Simeon 
and  Anna,  who  had  blessed  him  in  the  Temple. 


46  THE  CHRIST  STORY 


She  could  not  have  helped  speaking  of  the 
coming  of  the  shepherds  and  the  visit  of  the 
Wise  Men,  who  had  bowed  down  before  him 
when  he  was  a  tiny  baby  lying  in  the  manger 
at  Bethlehem.  Joseph,  too,  had  a  story  to 
tell.  "No  one  in  Bethlehem  had  room  for 
us,"  he  said,  "and  that  was  why  you  were 
born  in  the  cave  where  the  cattle  were  kept." 
Then  Joseph  told  him  of  the  dream  in  which 
the  Lord  said,  "  Take  the  Child  and  his  mo- 
ther and  flee  into  Egypt,  for  Herod  will  try 
to  destroy  him." 

So  the  days  went  on.  Joseph  was  careful 
to  obey  the  rules  of  the  priests,  and  Jesus  was 
taught  to  do  whatever  they  required.  There 
were  rules  telling  how  almost  every  action  of  the 
day  should  be  done,  even  how  one  should  eat 
and  drink  and  dress,  if  he  wished  to  be  called 
a  righteous  man.  There  were  so  many  feasts 
and  fasts  that  fifty-nine  days  out  of  every  year 
were  given  up  to  these  religious  celebrations. 
Less  than  two  months  after  the  Passover  came 
the  Festival  of  Firstfruits.  Then  again  the 
roads  were  filled  with  companies  of  people 
travehng  up  to  Jerusalem.  Herds  of  oxen 
and  sheep  for  sacrifice  were  driven  before  them. 
Doves  were   carried   m  great  baskets,  to  be 


THE   DAYS   AT  NAZARETH  47 

offered  up  on  the  altar.  The  first  wheat  that 
had  ripened  was  bound  into  sheafs  and  made 
bright  with  wreaths  of  lilies  and  roses  ;  for  this, 
too,  was  going  to  be  offered  up  to  God  to  show 
that  the  people  were  grateful  for  the  harvest. 
Every  one  wore  his  best  clothes,  —  the  bright- 
colored  holiday  garments  that  were  kept  in 
the  painted  chests,  —  and  many  wore  wreaths 
of  flowers.  As  they  drew  near  to  Jerusalem, 
banners  waved,  musicians  played,  and  the 
whole  company  sang  psalms  of  praise  and 
gladness.  They  went  through  the  gates,  and 
all  the  way  up  to  the  Temple  the  people  who 
lived  in  the  Holy  City  cried,  "  Welcome,  wel- 
come!    Welcome  to  Jerusalem!  " 

When  the  harvest  was  fully  in,  when  even 
the  grapes  and  oHves  had  been  gathered,  then 
came  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  or  tents,  and 
the  people  gave  thanks  for  the  completed  har- 
vest. The  feast  was  held  for  another  reason, 
—  so  that  the  Israelites  might  never  forget  the 
days  when  their  ancestors  were  wandering  in 
the  wilderness  and  lived  in  tents.  Again 
crowds  of  worshipers  went  to  the  Temple  to 
offer  up  the  best  of  their  fruits.  They  sang 
psalms,  and  they  waved  palm  branches.  The 
houses  of  Jerusalem  were  adorned  with  flowers. 


48  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

Green  boughs  -waved  from  the  windows.  The 
whole  city  was  like  a  forest,  for  the  streets  and 
the  flat  roofs  were  half  hidden  by  booths,  or 
tents,  made  of  branches  covered  with  leaves 
and  woven  together,  to  bring  to  mind  the 
tents  in  the  wilderness.  At  night  the  city 
was  bright  with  candles  and  lanterns,  and  the 
happy  pilgrims  feasted  and  enjoyed  them- 
selves. 

There  were  fast  days,  too,  and  many  of  them, 
in  the  Jewish  year.  The  most  sacred  and  sol- 
emm  was  the  Day  of  Atonement.  From  sun- 
set of  the  previous  evening  until  three  stars 
were  seen  in  the  sky  on  "  the  Day,"  as  it  was 
called,  no  one  might  eat  or  drink.  All  day 
long  Jewish  men  stood  in  the  synagogue, 
wearing  the  white  shrouds  in  which  they  were 
to  be  buried  when  they  died.  That  was  the 
day  when  the  priest  laid  his  hands  upon  the 
head  of  a  goat,  made  confession  for  the  peo- 
ple, and  then  sent  it  away  into  the  wilderness, 
to  signify  that  God's  forgiveness  had  taken 
away  the  sins  of  the  nation.  On  that  one 
day  of  all  the  year  the  high  priest  entered  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  where  God  himself  dwelt ; 
and  when  he  came  out,  the  crowds  thronged 
about  him  to  congratulate  him  that  his  ser- 


THE  DAYS  AT  NAZARETH  49 

vice  had  been  so  perfect  that  God  had  not 
been  angry  with  him  and  struck  him  dead. 

Jesus  saw  these  ceremonies  so  many  times 
that  they  were  as  famihar  to  him  as  the  nar- 
row street  on  wl;iich  he  hved.  He  knew  also 
the  hundreds  of  rules  for  daily  life  which  a 
Jew  was  bidden  by  the  teachers  to  observe,  — 
the  ceremonial  law,  as  they  were  called.  Cer- 
tain things  were  "  clean,"  or  permitted  to  be 
used,  while  others  were  "  unclean,"  or  forbid- 
den, these  teachers  said.  A  flat  plate  could 
always  be  used,  but  one  with  a  rim  might  be- 
come unclean.  Some  things  could  be  purified, 
or  cleansed,  by  washing,  but  others,  once  un- 
clean, could  never  become  clean.  The  only 
way  to  purify  a  dish  of  earthenware  was  to 
break  it ;  and  even  then  the  Jew  who  touched 
one  of  the  larger  fragments  became  unclean, 
and  until  he  had  been  purified  he  could  have 
no  part  or  lot  in  the  sacrifices  and  prayers  made 
for  his  people.  A  tax  must  be  paid  to  the 
priests  on  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  if  a  Jew 
ate  a  melon  or  a  cucumber  and  did  not  first 
make  sure  that  the  tax  had  been  paid,  he  com- 
mitted a  sin. 

Jesus  kept  the  feasts  and  fasts.  He  obeyed 
the  rules  of  the  priests.     He  went  to  the  homes 


50  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

of  his  friends,  and  joined  in  the  pleasures  of 
the  village.  The  people  who  had  honored  him 
in  his  infancy  as  the  Christ  seem  to  have  for- 
gotten him.  Simeon  and  Anna  were  dead ; 
the  shepherds  did  not  come  again,  no  mes- 
sengers journeyed  from  the  far-away  lands  of 
the  East  to  ask  for  the  King  of  the  Jews. 
Perhaps  some  who  did  not  forget  were  tired 
of  waiting  for  him  to  come  forward  and  raise 
an  army  to  conquer  the  world.  It  did  not 
occur  to  them  that  when  Christ  came  to  free 
the  Jews  he  might  spend  many  years  of  his 
life  in  a  village  working  at  the  bench  of  a  car- 
penter. Perhaps  they  were  sorry  and  ashamed 
that  they  had  ever  trusted  that  this  Child  would 
free  his  people.  The  world  seemed  to  grow 
more  wicked,  and  the  Jews  were  ruled  still 
more  harshly  by  the  Romans.  Some  men  felt 
that  it  was  impossible  to  live  good  lives  in 
the  midst  of  so  much  wrongdoing,  and  they 
went  away  to  desert  places  apart  from  other 
men.  There  they  lived  in  caves  ;  they  drank 
only  water,  and  ate  only  the  simplest  food. 
They  obeyed  the  ceremonial  law  with  the 
greatest  strictness,  and  so  tried  to  make  them- 
selves pleasing  to  God. 

Among  these  hermits  was  John,  the  son 


THE  DAYS  AT  NAZARETH  51 

whom  the  angel  had  promised  to  Zacharias 
and  Elisabeth.  His  parents  were  so  happy 
when  he  was  born  that  they  vowed  to  God 
their  child  should  be  a  Nazarite ;  that  is,  one 
set  apart  for  God's  special  service.  The  Naza- 
rite must  drink  no  wine,  and  he  must  never 
cut  his  hair.  It  was  believed  that  God  would 
bless  every  one  that  made  such  sacrifices  to 
please  him. 

Elisabeth  must  have  told  John  of  the  many 
years  that  they  had  hoped  in  vain  for  a  child, 
and  of  the  coming  of  the  angel  into  the  Holy 
Place  to  tell  them  that  their  prayer  had  been 
heard.  Then  his  father  would  say,  "  When 
you  were  born,  God  put  it  into  my  mind  to 
declare,  'Thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the 
Lord  to  prepare  his  ways.'  That  means  that 
you  are  to  teach  people  to  make  ready  for  the 
coming  of  Christ."  John  had  known  all  his 
life  that  God  had  some  special  work  for  him 
to  do,  and  when  he  had  grown  into  a  strong, 
fearless  man,  he  went  out  into  the  wilderness 
to  think  and  to  pray. 

This  wilderness  was  a  desolate  place.  There 
were  steep  precipices,  gorges,  and  chasms,  there 
were  gloomy  caves,  there  were  barren  hills  and 
pinnacles  of  rock.     Poisonous  serpents  crept 


52  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

about  in  the  shadow ;  crocodiles  and  wild  beasts 
made  their  home  in  this  desert ;  robbers  and 
murderers  dwelt  among  the  cliffs.  Close  to 
the  bed  of  the  river  Jordan  there  were  some- 
times masses  of  reeds  waving  in  the  wind. 
Higher  up  were  oaks  and  willows  and  syca- 
mores and  palms,  and  higher  still,  where  the 
spring  floods  never  came,  was  the  hot  sandy 
desert.  Here  John  stayed,  thinking  and  pray- 
ing. After  a  while  people  began  to  say  to  one 
another,  "  There  is  a  holy  man  living  in  the 
wilderness  round  about  Jordan.  Let  us  go 
out  and  hear  what  he  has  to  say." 

It  was  a  strange  preacher  to  whom  they 
went.  He  wore  a  coarse  garment  of  hair- 
cloth kept  in  place  by  a  leather  girdle.  His 
hair  had  never  been  cut,  and, it  hung  in  heavy 
masses.  His  eyes  were  keen  and  iiery.  He 
never  drank  wine,  but  only  water  from  the 
river.  He  ate  the  locusts  that  swarmed  in 
the  desert  and  the  honey  that  the  wild  bees 
had  stored  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.  People 
believed  that  before  the  reign  of  the  Christ 
should  begin,  Elijah,  greatest  of  the  prophets 
of  the  early  times,  would  appear  upon  earth. 
"Perhaps  this  is  Elijah,"  one  said  to  another; 
and  first  little  groups  and  then  vast  companies 


THE   JORDAN 


THE  DAYS  AT  NAZARETH  53 

of  all  kinds  of  people  from  Jerusalem  and  all 
Judea,  and  tlie  country  round  about  the  Jor- 
dan, began  to  flock  to  the  wilderness  to  learn 
how  soon  their  ruler  would  appear,  and  when 
the  kingdom  of  the  Jews  would  begin. 

But  this  preacher  said  nothing  about  the 
kingdom  of  the  Jews.  "  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand,"  he  cried.  "  Repent  of 
your  sins,  or  God  will  punish  you,  whether  you 
are  Abraham's  children  or  not.  Repent,  and 
be  baptized  in  the  river  to  show  that  you  wish 
to  be  made  pure." 

One  day  many  Pharisees  came  to  hear  John. 
They  were  people  who  believed  themselves  to 
be  more  holy  than  others  because  they  observed 
more  strictly  the  ceremonies  required  by  the 
teachers,  or  rabbis.  When  John  saw  them 
he  was  angry,  for  he  knew  that  they  did  not 
come  to  learn,  but  only  that  the  multitude 
might  think  well  of  them,  and  he  cried,  "  0 
children  of  serpents,  if  you  are  sorry  for  your 
sins,  show  it  by  your  acts.  Every  tree  that 
does  not  bear  good  fruit  shall  be  cut  down 
and  thrown  into  the  fire."  The  publicans,  or 
tax  gatherers,  came,  and  they  asked,  "  Master, 
what  ought  we  to  do  ? "  These  publicans 
were  hated  and   despised   because  they  col- 


54  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

lected  from  their  countrymen  the  taxes  that 
were  paid  to  the  Roman  emperor ;  but  the 
fiery  preacher  spoke  to  them  far  more  gently 
than  to  the  Pharisees.  "  Be  just,"  he  said, 
"  and  do  not  fill  your  own  purses  by  obhging 
men  to  pay  you  more  than  the  Romans  re- 
quire." Then  the  soldiers  asked,  "  And  what 
ought  we  to  do  ?  "  John  answered,  "  Do  not 
frighten  people  and  force  them  to  give  you 
money,  but  be  satisfied  with  your  wages." 

This  was  all  very  different  from  the  teach- 
ings of  the  rabbis.  John  did  not  talk  about 
things  being  clean  or  unclean  ;  he  did  not  tell 
them  whether  purifying  should  be  done  with 
spring  water  or  cistern  water.  He  said  only, 
"  You  are  wicked,  and  if  you  do  not  repent 
and  ask  God  to  forgive  you,  he  will  punish 
you.  Repent,  and  make  yourselves  ready  for 
Christ.  The  Leader  is  coming.  Be  ready  to 
meet  him." 

The  multitude  did  not  know  what  to  think 
of  such  a  teacher  as  this.  "  I  do  not  beheve 
that  John  the  baptizer  is  a  prophet,"  said  one. 
"  I  believe  he  himself  is  the  Christ."  Many 
of  John's  hearers  ao^reed  with  this  man. 
"John  shall  lead  us,"  they  cried,  "and  the 
kingdom   of  God  will  come.     You,  you  are 


THE  DAYS  AT   NAZARETH  55 

the  Christ,"  they  said  to  John  ;  but  he  an- 
swered, "  No,  I  am  not  the  Christ.  I  baptize 
you  with  water  to  show  that  you  wish  to  be 
made  pure,  but  the  Christ  is  coming,  and  he 
will  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit." 

So  many  people  thronged  to  hear  John  that 
even  the  priests  in  Jerusalem  began  to  think 
he  might  be  the  Christ,  and  they  went  out  to 
the  wilderness  to  ask  him  who  he  was.  "  Are 
you  the  Christ  ?  "  they  asked,  and  he  answered, 
"  No."  "  Are  you  Elijah  ?  "  "  No,  I  am 
not."  "  But  we  cannot  go  back  to  Jerusalem 
without  some  answer.  Who  are  you  ?  What 
do  you  say  of  yourself  ?  "  John  might  have 
said  that  he  was  a  descendant  of  a  long  line 
of  priests  that  stretched  back  for  fifteen  hun- 
dred years,  but  he  forgot  all  about  himself  and 
thought  only  of  the  Christ  who  was  coming. 
"  I  am  a  voice,"  he  said,  "  a  voice  crying  in 
the  wilderness,  ^  Make  yourselves  ready  for 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.'  "  Some  of  the 
Pharisees  had  come  with  the  priests,  and  they 
demanded,  "  Why  do  you  baptize  if  you  are 
not  the  Christ  nor  Elijah  nor  a  prophet?" 
John  answered,  "  I  baptize  with  water,  but 
among  you  is  One  whom  you  do  not  know, 
and  I  am  not  worthy  to  untie  the  fastening  of 


56  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

his  shoe."  The  priests  went  back  to  Jerusalem, 
and  John  stood  in  the  river  Jordan,  baptizing* 
one  after  another  as  they  confessed  that  they 
had  done  wrong  and  promised  to  do  better. 

Among  those  that  came  was  One  who  made 
no  confession.  The  preacher  waited  a  mo- 
ment, but  he  heard  no  words  of  sorrow  for 
sin.  Then  he  looked  into  the  face  of  the  man. 
It  was  calm  and  pure.  The  dark  eyes  met  his 
own,  unclouded  by  any  shadow  of  wrongdoing. 

"  He  is  a  man  without  sin,"  thought  the 
preacher,  and  he  said  meekly,  "  Jesus,  do  you 
come  to  me  to  be  baptized  ?  I  ought  rather 
to  go  to  you."  But  the  Other  said,  "  Let  it 
be  so  now,  for  we  must  obey  God's  command- 
ment." So  it  was  that  Jesus  was  baptized ; 
and  as  he  went  up  from  the  water,  a  white 
dove  came  softly  down  in  the  gleam  of  the 
sunshine  and  circled  around  him.  It  rested 
on  its  wings  for  a  moment  over  his  head,  and 
a  voice  came  out  of  the  heavens  which  said, 
"  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son." 

Jesus  went  up  from  the  water  and  walked 
silently  away,  going  farther  and  farther  into 
the  wilderness.  He  was  now  thirty  years  old, 
and  he  would  be  permitted  to  teach  in  the  syn- 
agogues, or  Jewish  churches;  but  before  he 


THE  DAYS  AT  NAZARETH  57 

began  to  teach  he  wished  to  be  alone  with 
God,  to  pray  and  to  think  what  his  Father 
wanted  him  to  do.  For  forty  days  he  was  in 
the  desert.  He  fasted,  for  he  had  no  thought 
of  food,  but  when  the  forty  days  were  at  an 
end  he  hungered.  The  stones  that  lay  on  the 
ground  at  his  feet  were  shaped  like  loaves  of 
bread .  It  would  be  easy  to  say,  "  Become 
bread,"  to  eat  and  be  no  longer  hungry  and 
faint.  Then  came  the  thought,  "  I  am  to 
work  wonders,  not  for  my  own  ease,  but  to 
prove  to  men  that  I  am  come  from  God.  My 
Father  will  give  me  food." 

"  I  am  come  from  God  "  —  he  said  the 
words  over  to  himself.  "  And  yet,  many  will 
scofE  at  me  and  will  not  believe  in  me.  If 
I  should  work  one  great  miracle  that  thou- 
sands would  see,  they  could  not  doubt."  He 
thought  of  Jerusalem,  the  city  that  he  loved, 
of  the  shining  Temple,  of  the  highest  pinna- 
cle, and  of  the  deep  valley  that  lay  below  it. 
"  My  Father  has  given  his  angels  charge  con- 
cerning me,"  he  said  aloud.  "I  could  cast 
myself  down  from  that  pinnacle  and  feel  no 
touch  of  harm.  All  Jerusalem  would  see  the 
power  of  God."  Then  he  thought,  "  My  peo- 
ple know  that  God  is  power,  but  I  am  sent  to 


di 


58  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

show  them  that  God  is  love.  My  miracles 
must  make  them  feel  grateful  to  him  and  love 
him." 

The  heart  of  Jesus  was  so  full  of  pity  and 
love  for  men  that  he  cried  aloud  in  the  lonely 
wilderness,  "Oh,  if  I  could  but  tell  all  the  peo- 
ple on  earth  of  my  Father's  love !  "  Then 
he  said  to  himself,  "  I  can.  I  need  not  wait 
to  teach  httle  groups  of  men.  I  can  destroy 
with  a  word  aU  who  would  oppose  me,  and 
rule  the  world  by  the  law  of  God."  But  he 
thought,  "My  Father  has  sent  me  to  teach 
men  and  persuade  them,  not  to  force  them. 
My  Father's  way  is  best ; "  and  as  if  the  thought 
of  a  kingdom  of  force  were  a  person  he  cried, 
"  Away  from  me,  thou  evil  one !  Get  thee 
hence  !     My  Father's  way  is  best." 

Jesus  was  faint  and  weary,  but  God  had 
given  the  angels  charge  concerning  him,  and 
they  came  and  ministered  to  him. 


By  permission  of  Marper  &  Bros. 


THE   FIRST    FOLLOWERS 

When  Jesus  left  the  wilderness,  he  passed 
by  the  place  where  John  was  still  baptizing. 
Crowds  were  listening  to  the  words  of  the 
preacher,  but  he  stopped  and  looked  after 
Jesus.  He  remembered  that  although  Jesus 
had  come  to  be  baptized,  he  had  had  no  sins 
to  confess.  Then  the  glory  and  the  wonder 
of  it  burst  upon  John.  He  pointed  to  Jesus 
and  cried,  "  Look,  look  !  There  is  the  Lamb 
of  God  !  He  came  to  me  to  be  baptized,  and 
I  did  not  know  him.  He  is  the  Lamb  that 
will  take  away  the  sins  of  the  whole  world.  I 
knew  that  the  Christ  would  come ;  and  when 
God  told  me  to  baptize  with  water,  he  said, 
'  Upon  whomsoever  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit 
descending  and  abiding  upon  him,  the  same  is 
he  that  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Spirit.'  I  did 
see  the  Spirit  descending  as  a  dove  out  of 
heaven,  and  it  rested  upon  him.  He  is  the 
Son  of  God." 


62  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Of  all  those  who  heard  the  words  of  John, 
not  one  seems  to  have  paid  much  attention  to 
their  meaning.  His  hearers  expected  Christ 
to  be  a  great  commander  who  would  raise  an 
army  and  free  them  from  the  Romans,  and  it 
did  not  seem  possible  that  this  man  was  he. 
It  was  not  John's  way  to  explain  and  persuade, 
but  he  would  say  what  was  true  over  and  over, 
until,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  people  must  believe 
it.  Later  on  the  same  day,  he  saw  Jesus  once 
more,  and  he  cried  again,  "  See,  he  is  the  Lamb 
of  God !  "  Only  two  of  John's  disciples  were 
with  him,  but  they  were  thoughtful  men,  and 
they  followed  after  Jesus  to  hear  what  he 
would  say  to  them.  They  did  not  venture  to 
speak  to  him,  but  soon  he  turned  and  asked, 
"  What  do  you  wish  ?  "  They  did  not  know 
exactly  what  to  answer,  and  so  they  said, 
"  Rabbi,  where  do  you  live  ?  "  "  Come  and 
see,"  said  Jesus,  and  he  looked  at  them  so 
kindly  that  they  were  glad  to  go  with  him. 

They  had  called  him  "  Rabbi,"  which  was 
a  title  of  honor,  for  the  rabbis  were  the  reli- 
gious teachers,  and  were  often  treated  with 
far  more  respect  than  the  priests.  The  best 
places  at  feasts  were  given  to  them,  and  they 
sat  in  the  front  seats  in  the  synagogues.    Many 


THE  FIRST  FOLLOWERS  63 

men  rose  and  stood  before  them  as  they  passed 
by.  A  Jewish  boy  was  taught  that  if  his  fa- 
ther and  a  rabbi  were  both  in  danger  he  must 
first  save  the  rabbi,  because  the  rabbi  was  the 
teacher  of  the  rehgion  of  God. 

These  rabbis  had  been  shown  so  much  honor 
that  many  of  them  had  begun  to  think  them- 
selves far  better  than  those  around  them,  and 
they  were  eager  to  have  every  one  understand 
that  they  were  rabbis  and  very  holy  men.  They 
arranged  their  dress  so  that  one  could  tell  them 
a  long  way  off.  Their  robes  were  long  and 
flowing,  and  they  wore  on  their  foreheads 
phylacteries,  or  little  rolls  of  parchment  on 
which  sentences  from  the  Scriptures  had  been 
written.  It  was  the  law  to  wear  these  rolls 
during  prayer,  but  the  rabbis  wore  them  all 
the  time,  and  made  the  case  in  which  they 
were  kept  much  larger  than  was  the  custom. 
Jesus  wore  no  phylactery,  and  his  dress  was 
like  that  of  the  people  around  him,  and  yet 
there  was  something  in  his  manner  that  made 
these  two  men,  Andrew  and  John,  feel  sure 
that  they  ought  to  call  him  Rabbi. 

A  rabbi  usually  went  about  the  land  teach- 
ing the  people,  first  in  one  place  and  then  in 
another.     Often  his  most  devoted  disciples, 


64  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

or  learners,  went  with  him,  and  whenever  he 
seated  himself  to  speak,  they  sat  down  in  a 
half  circle  around  him  to  listen  as  closely  as 
possible,  for  it  was  a  sin  to  forget  one  word 
that  a  rabbi  had  spoken. 

Andrew  and  John  went  home  with  Jesus, 
and  he  talked  with  them  all  the  rest  of  the 
afternoon.  No  one  knows  what  he  said,  but 
they  felt  sure  that  he  was  really  Christ,  and 
Andrew  hurried  away  to  his  brother  Simon 
and  said,  "  Come  quickly,  for  we  have  found 
the  Christ."  When  the  two  men  stood  before 
him,  Jesus  looked  upon  Simon  and  said,  "  You 
are  Simon,  but  you  shall  be  called  Peter."  The 
word  "  Peter  "  means  "  a  rock,"  and  Jesus 
knew  well  that  in  the  years  to  come  Peter 
would  stand  for  him  as  firmly  as  a  rock.  These 
three  were  the  first  disciples  of  Jesus,  and  they 
were  very  dear  to  him.  They  were  ready  to 
go  with  him  wherever  he  went. 

Jesus  was  thinking  earnestly  of  Galilee, 
beautiful  Galilee,  his  own  land,  and  with  his 
little  group  of  followers  he  set  out  to  go  among 
his  old  friends.  On  the  way  he  found  Philip, 
who  was  of  the  same  city  as  Andrew  and  Peter 
and  John  ;  and  as  soon  as  Phihp  saw  him  he 
was  so  sure  that  he  was  the  Christ  that  Jesus 


CHRIST   BY   THE    SEA 


THE  FIRST  FOLLOWERS  65 

needed  only  to  say,  "Follow  me."  Philip 
could  not  wait  to  hear  more  before  telling  some 
one  else  the  good  news,  so  he  went  in  search 
of  his  friend  Nathanael.  He  found  him  half 
hidden  under  a  fig  tree,  and  he  called  aloud 
joyfully,  "  We  have  found  him,  we  have  found 
him,  the  Christ  that  the  prophets  said  would 
come!  He  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of 
Joseph  the  carpenter."  Now  Galilee  was 
somewhat  scorned  by  the  people  who  Hved  in 
the  other  parts  of  Palestine,  and  Nazareth  was 
looked  down  upon  even  by  those  who  lived  in 
the  other  parts  of  GaHlee,  though  no  one 
knows  just  why,  so  Nathanael  asked  with  a 
little  smile,  "  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth  ?  "  Philip  was  so  eager  to  get  back 
to  Jesus  that  he  could  not  stop  to  argue  or  ex- 
plain. He  cried,  "Come  and  see,"  and  Nathan- 
ael went  with  him.  When  Jesus  saw  them 
coming,  he  said,  "  Here  is  an  Israelite  who  is 
sincere  and  true."  Nathanael  said,  "  How  do 
you  know  me  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I  saw 
you  when  you  were  under  the  fig  tree,  before 
Philip  called  you."  Then  Nathanael  cried 
out  joyfully,  "  Rabbi,  you  are  the  Son  of  God, 
you  are  the  King  of  Israel."  Jesus  was  pleased 
that  Nathanael  was  so  ready  to  believe  in  him, 


66  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

and  he  said,  "  Do  you  believe  because  I  said 
I  saw  you  under  the  fig  tree  ?  You  shall  see 
far  greater  things  than  that." 

Jesus  had  now  a  band  of  five  disciples,  and 
the  first  place  to  which  he  led  them  was  a 
wedding  feast.  He  and  his  followers  were 
invited,  for  the  presence  of  a  rabbi  was  looked 
upon  as  an  honor.  A  wedding  was  a  most 
joyful  occasion.  It  was  celebrated  at  the 
house  of  the  father  of  the  bridegroom,  and 
when  the  bride  left  her  home,  the  bridegroom 
went  out  to  meet  her  on  the  way.  He  did 
not  go  alone,  for  a  great  company  of  his 
friends  went  with  him.  There  were  also 
musicians,  who  beat  drums  and  played  on 
flutes  and  sang  songs  about  how  beautiful 
and  good  the  bride  was.  No  one  could  see 
her  face,  for  it  was  hidden  by  a  long  veil, 
but  she  wore  a  wreath  of  myrtle  leaves  and 
all  the  ornaments  that  her  family  owned.  If 
these  were  not  enough,  she  borrowed  from 
friends.  A  feast  was  provided  by  the  bride- 
groom, and  the  rejoicings  often  went  on  for 
a  week.  Everything  was  managed  with  the 
utmost  generosity.  A  man  might  be  even 
miserly  at  other  times  and  be  pardoned,  but 
he  who  tried   to  be   sparing   at   a  wedding 


THE  FIRST  FOLLOWERS  67 

feast  was  scorned,  and  if  he  did  not  provide 
wine  enough,  he   was  pointed   out  for  years 
after  that  day  as  the  man  who  had  no  wine 
for   his    wedding.      Now   the    giver    of    this 
feast  may  have  been  poor,  or  perhaps  more 
guests  had  come  than  were  expected ;  for  after 
Jesus  had  been  in  the  house  a  httle  while,  his 
mother  called  him  aside  and  whispered  in  dis- 
may, "  They  have  no  wine."    The  bridegroom 
was  probably  a  relative  of  hers,  and  she  felt 
that  the  whole  family  would  be  disgraced  if 
the  wine  failed.    She  thought  that  Jesus  would 
help  her,  though  she  did  not  know  how ;  but 
he  said  to  her,  "  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do 
with  thee?     Mine    hour   is    not   yet    come." 
What  he  meant  is  not  clear,  but  "  woman " 
seems  to  have  been  a  title  of  loving  respect. 
The  words  were  spoken  so  gently  and  ten- 
derly   that    Mary    was    troubled    no    longer. 
"Do  whatever  he  tells  you,"   she  bade  the 
servants,  and  then  she  waited  to  hear  what  he 
would  say  to  them. 

Among  the  Jews  it  was  thought  very  im- 
proper for  a  guest  to  enter  a  house  without 
taking  off  his  sandals,  and  as  his  feet  would 
be  dusty,  water  must  always  be  at  hand  for 
washing.     Moreover,  dishes  and  other  things 


68  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

must  be  "purified"  constantly.      Therefore 
every  house  had  beside  its  door  great  stone 
jars,  each  holding  several  gallons  of  water. 
At  the  house  of  the  wedding  six  of  these  jars 
stood  just  outside.    "  Fill  them  up  with  water," 
commanded  Jesus,  and  the  servants  obeyed, 
though  they  must  have  thought  it  a  strange 
order.     It  would  have  seemed  to  them  much 
more  reasonable  if  he  had  sent  them  out  to 
borrow   wine    of    the    neighbors,    instead   of 
wasting   time  in    filhng  up   the  jars.     They 
filled  them  up  to  the  brim,  however,  perhaps 
grumbling  a  little  to  one  another  as  they  did 
it.     "  Draw  out  now,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  carry 
it  to  the  ruler  of  the  feast."     The  ruler  was 
the  friend  of  the  bridegroom  who  had  charge 
of  the  festivities,  and  they  were  half  afraid  to 
obey,  for  they  feared  that  they  might  be  pun- 
ished for  doing  so  impertinent  a  thing  as  to 
give  him  water  when  he  had  called  for  wine, 
but  they  went  to  the  jars  and  drew.     They 
could  hardly  trust  their  own  eyes  when,  in- 
stead of  water,  clear  wine  came  out.     They 
almost  feared  to  touch  it ;  but  when  the  ruler 
of  the  feast  tasted  it,  he  called  the  bridegroom 
and  said  jestingly,  "  Most  men   set  on  their 
good  wine  first  and  the  poorer  afterwards,  but 


z 

o 
z 

a 
> 


z 
ID 


THE  FIRST  FOLLOWERS  69 

you  saved  the  better  till  we  had  drunk  the 
poorer." 

Soon  after  the  wedding  feast,  Jesus  and  Mary 
and  his  brethren  and  his  disciples  went  from 
Cana,  where  the  feast  had  been  held,  to  Caper- 
naum, a  busy  little  city  on  the  shore  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee.  It  was  on  the  road  that  was  taken 
by  the  caravans,  or  long  trains  of  men  and  cam- 
els that  brought  goods  from  Egypt  and  carried 
them  to  Damascus.  Not  only  Jews,  but  peo- 
ple of  all  nations,  hved  in  Capernaum.  Roman 
soldiers  were  stationed  there  ;  their  commander 
believed  in  the  religion  of  the  Jews  and  had 
built  a  beautiful  white  synagogue.  The  Sea 
of  Galilee  was  full  of  fish ;  the  plain  below  the 
town  was  rich  and  fertile.  Great  quantities 
of  wheat,  grapes,  melons,  figs,  and  dates  were 
brought  to  the  city.  People  hved  luxuriously ; 
they  bought  and  sold ;  they  were  comfortable 
and  busy.  They  were  satisfied  to  go  on  in 
the  same  old  way  of  living,  and  did  not  care 
to  listen  to  any  new  teaching  ;  yet  it  was 
in  Capernaum  that  Jesus  made  his  home. 
Joseph,  the  faithful,  tender-hearted  man,  was 
dead,  and  Mary  went  to  Capernaum  with  her 
son. 


^l^e'yotlJ^  ':^s^l>j:^ 


VI 

THE    YOUNG   RABBI 

Not  many  days  after  Jesus  went  to  Caper- 
naum, the  time  of  the  Passover  arrived,  and 
he  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  keep  the  feast.  He 
had  made  this  journey  many  times,  perhaps 
every  year  after  he  was  twelve  years  old,  but 
the  way  was  always  new  and  always  beautiful. 
The  feast  came  in  the  spring,  in  what  was 
called  the  month  of  flowers,  for  then  the  whole 
land  looked  like  a  great  flower  garden.  There 
were  crocuses  and  tulips  and  geraniums  grow- 
ing wild  everywhere  and  free  to  any  one  who 
wished  to  pick  them.  Every  morning  the  pil- 
grims were  awakened  by  the  cooing  of  turtle 
doves  and  the  song  of  larks. 

Where  so  many  people  were  journeying 
together,  there  was  noise  and-  confusion,  of 
course,  but  it  was  the  noise  of  happy  people 
going  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord.  When 
they  came  into  the  city,  there  was  a  different 


74  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

kind  of  noise,  for  there  were  shops,  or  booths, 
on  every  street  that  led  to  the  Temple,  and  the 
owners  called,  "  Earthen  dishes  for  sale  !  Buy- 
one  of  our  ovens  to  roast  the  Passover  lamb  ! 
Here  you  get  wine  and  oil !  "  In  the  Temple 
courts  there  was  even  more  confusion.  It  was 
not  like  the  entrance  to  a  place  of  worship, 
but  more  like  a  great  bazaar.  Every  one 
wished  to  make  a  sacrifice,  and  many  were 
bargaining  and  beating  down  the  dealers' 
prices,  so  that  they  might  buy  a  lamb  or  some 
doves  for  the  altar,  and  not  pay  much  for  the 
offering.  The  money-changers  sat  a  little 
apart  from  the  thickest  of  the  crowd.  Before 
them  were  tables,  on  which  were  piles  of  coins 
from  the  various  parts  of  the  land.  Every 
Jew  had  to  pay  a  yearly  tax  to  the  Temple, 
and  it  must  be  paid  in  a  certain  kind  of  coin. 
The  money-changers  gave  this  coin  to  the  pil- 
grims in  exchange  for  the  money  used  at  their 
homes.  They  received  a  fee  for  making  the 
exchange,  but  few  of  them  were  satisfied  with 
this,  and  they  cheated  whenever  it  was  pos- 
sible. 

Jesus  had  come  to  the  Temple  to  worship, 
and  when  he  saw  the  very  courts  of  his  Father's 
house  turned  into  places  for  barter  and  cheat- 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  76 

ing,  he  was  indignant.  "  Take  them  away  !  " 
he  cried  to  the  men  that  sold  doves.  "  Do 
not  make  my  Father's  house  a  house  for  buy- 
ing and  selKng."  He  caught  up  some  small 
cords  that  lay  on  the  ground,  and  knotting 
them  into  a  whip,  he  drove  out  the  sheep  and 
the  oxen.  The  piles  of  coin  rolled  over  the 
floor,  for  he  poured  out  the  changers'  money 
and  overthrew  their  tables. 

The  men  fled  before  him  as  if  they  were 
fleeing  from  a  stormwind.  Not  one  of  them 
dared  to  oppose  him,  and  the  priests  were 
more  frightened  than  those  who  bought  and 
sold,  for  they  were  really  the  guilty  ones. 
They  had  allowed  this  disorder  because  the 
merchants  gave  them  a  share  of  the  profits. 
Raising  doves  and  selling  them  was  in  the 
hands  of  Annas,  the  high  priest,  and  he  had 
a  large  income  from  the  business.  No  one 
knew  what  this  young  rabbi  would  say  next, 
and  both  priests  and  merchants  were  afraid 
that  he  knew  their  secret  and  would  tell  it. 

Jesus  dropped  the  whip  of  cords  and  stood 
in  the  court,  watching  the  priests  as  they  gath- 
ered in  little  groups  and  whispered  together. 
They  did  not  dare  to  question  him,  but  some 
of  the  pilgrims  and  the  people  of  the  city  who 


76  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

stood  near  were  thinking,  "  Only  a  prophet, 
or  perhaps  even  the  Christ,  would  dare  to  do 
such  a  thing ;  "  and  they  asked  him  most  re- 
spectfully, "  Can  you  show  us  a  miracle  so 
that  we  may  know  who  you  are  and  that  you 
have  a  right  to  do  this?  "  They  whispered  to 
one  another,  "  Perhaps  he  will  call  down  fire 
from  heaven,  as  Elijah  did,  or  perhaps  he  will 
make  the  earth  open  and  swallow  up  his  ene- 
mies." Jesus  answered,  "  Destroy  this  temple 
and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up."  It  was 
not  until  three  years  later  that  even  his  dis- 
ciples understood  that  by  "  temple  "  he  meant 
his  body,  which  should  be  raised  after  it  had 
lain  in  the  grave  for  three  days  ;  and  when 
the  questioners  heard  the  words,  they  said, 
"  It  took  forty-six  years  to  build  this  temple, 
and  you  think  you  can  raise  it  in  three  days  !  " 
They  went  away  laughing  and  saying,  "  How 
foolish  we  were  to  think  for  a  moment  that 
he  might  be  the  Christ !  " 

Not  all  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  were  like 
these  men,  for  many  believed  in  him  while  he 
was  in  the  Holy  City;  but  .there  were  none 
among  them  whom  he  trusted  sufficiently  to 
ask  them  to  join  his  little  band  of  special  dis- 
ciples, like  Andrew  and  John  and  Peter.    One 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  77 

of  these  men  who  listened  to  him  was  named 
Nicodemus.  He  was  a  Pharisee,  and  believed 
that  it  was  exceedingly  important  to  obey  all 
the  ceremonial  laws.  He  could  not  help  feel- 
ing that  the  words  of  Jesus  were  true,  but  he 
knew  that  many  people  would  laugh  at  him  if 
he,  a  rich  Pharisee,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  should 
become  the  follower  of  a  rabbi  from  Galilee. 
Still  he  felt  so  interested  and  so  troubled  that 
he  concluded  to  go  to  Jesus  and  learn  more 
of  his  teachings.  For  fear  that  his  visit  would 
be  found  out,  he  went  in  the  night. 

He  spoke  to  Jesus  most  courteously  and 
said,  "  Rabbi,  we  know  you  are  a  teacher  come 
from  God,  for  no  one  could  do  the  miracles 
that  you  do  unless  God  was  with  him."  Jesus 
did  not  say  a  word  about  himself  or  his  right 
to  teach,  but  replied,  "  A  man  must  be  born 
again,  or  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Nicodemus  was  puzzled,  and  Jesus  explained 
that  the  way  to  please  God  was  not  to  observe 
ceremonies,  but  to  be  pure  and  obey  his  will. 
Nicodemus  had  believed  that  obeying  the  laws 
of  the  rabbis  was  what  would  best  please  God, 
and  so  he  asked  in  surprise,  "  How  can  that 
be?"  "Are  you  a  teacher  of  religion  and  do 
not  understand   this?"   asked   Jesus  gently. 


78  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

"  God  loves  people  themselves,  not  ceremo- 
nies." This  was  a  new  idea  to  the  Pharisee, 
and  Jesus  told  him  more  of  the  love  of  God. 
He  said,  "  God  loved  the  world  so  much  that 
he  gave  his  only  Son,  so  that  those  who  be- 
lieve on  him  might  have  everlasting  life." 
Then  he  added  kindly,  but  looking  keenly  at 
Nicodemus,  "  He  that  obeys  the  truth  comes 
to  the  light."  Nicodemus  knew  Jesus  meant 
that  he  must  not  be  afraid  to  own  himself  a 
disciple  if  he  really  was  one.  He  did  not  like 
to  give  up  his  high  position  or  to  have  people 
laugh  at  him,  and  he  went  home  to  think  over 
the  matter. 

So  it  was  that  Jesus  tried  by  night  and  by 
day  to  teach  men  how  to  be  pleasing  to  God. 
At  the  same  time  John  the  baptizer  was  striv- 
ing to  make  his  hearers  understand  that  they 
must  repent,  that  the  Christ  had  come.  John's 
followers  loved  him,  and  some  of  them  were 
not  at  all  pleased  that  men  were  leaving  him 
to  follow  Jesus.  A  little  group  went  to  John 
and  said,  "  Rabbi,  the  man  who  was  with  you 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the  one  that 
you  called  the  Lamb  of  God,  is  also  baptizing, 
and  crowds  are  going  to  him  instead  of  com- 
ing to  you."     They  hoped  that  John  would 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  79 

contrive  some  plan  to  keep  people  from  going 
to  Jesus,  but  they  had  little  idea  what  a  noble 
man  their  leader  was.  He  said  gently  and 
without  a  shade  of  jealousy,  "  His  power  will 
become  greater,  and  mine  will  become  less.  I 
told  you  long  ago  that  I  was  not  the  Christ, 
but  was  sent  before  him  to  say  that  he  was 
coming.  The  Father  loves  him  and  has  given 
him  all  power." 

Jesus  loved  this  unselfish  man,  and  was 
deeply  grieved  when  the  news  came  that  John 
had  been  cast  into  prison.  This  was  done 
partly  because  his  teaching  was  so  unlike  that 
of  the  priests  that  they  were  indignant  with 
him,  and  partly  because  he  had  told  King 
Antipas  bluntly  that  he  was  a  wicked  man. 
John  was  snatched  from  the  freedom  of  the 
fields,  the  roses  and  lilies,  the  blue  stream  of 
Jordan,  the  clouds,  the  sunshine,  and  the  songs 
of  birds,  and  was  shut  up  in  the  dark  and 
gloomy  dungeon  of  one  of  the  castles  of  the 
king. 

The  preaching  of  Jesus  had  been  even  more 
bold  than  that  of  John,  and  his  work  was 
but  begun  ;  it  was  better  to  avoid  persecution 
for  the  time,  so  he  went  away  from  Judea  and 
returned  to  Galilee. 


80  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

There  was  more  than  one  road  that  led  into 
GaHlee,  but  the  most  direct  went  through 
Samaria.  The  people  of  this  country  were 
descendants  of  Assyrians  who  had  come  to  it 
seven  hundred  years  before.  They  had  built 
a  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim,  and  declared  that 
all  men  ought  to  worship  there  instead  of 
going  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  moreover,  they  in- 
sisted that  their  copy  of  the  first  five  books  of 
the  Scriptures  was  much  older  than  that  of 
the  Jews,  and  ought  to  be  obeyed  rather  than 
the  Jewish  copy.  For  these  reasons  the  Jews 
and  the  Samaritans  hated  each  other.  Pil- 
grims going  to  Jerusalem  were  often  attacked 
and  robbed  or  beaten  if  they  ventured  to  pass 
through  Samaria ;  and  the  Jews  were  always 
ready  to  burn  the  Samaritan  villages  in  re- 
venge. Nevertheless  Jesus,  with  his  little  band 
of  disciples,  went  fearlessly  into  Samaria. 

When  they  reached  Sychar,  the  heat  of  the 
day  had  come,  and  he  was  exhausted.  A  well 
which,  it  was  said,  had  been  built  by  Jacob 
centuries  before,  was  at  hand.  Beside  it  was 
a  bench,  and  over  the  bench  a  little  shed. 
Jesus  sat  down  in  the  shade  to  rest  while  his 
disciples  went  into  the  city  to  buy  food.  Soon 
a  Samaritan  woman  came  to  the  well  to  draw 


THE   YOUNG   RABBI  81 

water.  Her  jar  was  on  her  head,  and  a  rope 
was  in  her  hand.  "  Will  you  give  me  a  drink 
of  water?"  asked  Jesus.  She  knew  his  coun- 
try by  either  his  dress  or  his  speech,  and  she 
was  so  surprised  at  his  speaking  to  her  that 
she  exclaimed,  "  But  you  are  a  Jew.  How  is 
it  that  you  ask  a  Samaritan  for  a  drink  ? " 
Jesus  did  not  answer  the  question,  but  he  said 
gently,  "  If  you  had  known  who  was  asking 
you  for  a  drink,  you  would  have  asked  me, 
and  I  should  have  given  you  living  water,"  that 
is,  running  water  fresh  from  the  spring.  The 
woman  looked  at  him,  and  then  she  spoke 
respectfully.  "  Sir,"  said  she,  "  the  well  is 
deep,  and  you  have  nothing  to  draw  with. 
Where  could  you  get  that  water  ?  Are  you 
greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave  us 
this  well  ?  "  Ag^ain  Jesus  did  not  answer  her 
question.  He  said  only,  "  Whoever  drinks  of 
this  water  will  be  thirsty  again,  but  whoever 
drinks  of  the  water  that  I  give  will  find  a  well 
of  water  in  his  soul,  springing  up  into  ever- 
lastinof  life."  The  woman  had  not  the  least 
idea  that  he  meant  anything  but  literal  wa- 
ter like  that  in  the  well,  and  she  said,  "  Sir, 
2"ive  me  that  water,  so  that  I  shall  not  be 
thirsty  and  need  not  come  here  to  draw."    She 


82  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

was  puzzled,  but  Jesus  did  not  explain.  He 
began  instead  to  talk  of  her  past  life.  She 
had  not  been  a  good  woman,  and  she  felt 
ashamed  and  embarrassed.  She  thouo-ht  that 
if  she  brought  up  the  old  quarrel  between  the 
Jews  and  the  Samaritans  he  would  talk  about 
that  and  not  about  her,  so  she  pointed  to 
Mount  Gerizim  and  said,  "  Our  fathers  wor- 
shiped on  that  mountain,  and  you  Jews  say 
Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  go 
to  worship."  Then  said  Jesus,  "  The  time  is 
coming  when  true  worshipers  will  not  have 
to  go  to  either  Gerizim  or  Jerusalem  to  wor- 
ship the  Father."  The  woman  was  so  inter- 
ested that  she  forgot  her  embarrassment,  and 
she  said,  "  I  know  that  when  Christ  comes  he 
will  explain  all  that  to  us."  Then  said  Jesus, 
"  I  am  he." 

As  she  stood  gazing  at  him,  the  disciples 
came  back  from  the  village  with  food,  and  the 
woman  went  away  in  such  haste  that  she  for- 
got her  waterpot,  and  left  it  standing  on  the 
well-curb.  It  was  looked  upon  as  most  im- 
proper for  a  rabbi  to  speak  to  a  woman  in  the 
street,  and  the  disciples  were  surprised,  but  not 
one  ventured  to  ask  why  he  had  talked  with 
her.    He  had  forgotten  the  food  and  the  drink. 


JESUS   AND  THE   WOMAN   OF    SAMARIA 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  83 

he  had  forgotten  his  weariness,  for  the  woman's 
words,  "  the  Christ,"  had  filled  his  mind  with 
thoughts  of  the  wonderful  work  that  lay  be- 
fore him.  "  Rabbi,  eat,"  they  pleaded,  but  he 
answered,  "  I  have  food  to  eat  that  you  do  not 
know  of."  They  loved  him,  but  they  did  not 
understand  him.  They  thought  that  "  food  " 
must  mean  bread  and  wine  and  fruit,  and  they 
whispered  to  one  another,  "  Could  any  one 
have  brought  him  food  while  we  were  away  ?  " 
Then  he  said,  "  My  food  is  to  do  what  my 
Father  wishes  done." 

While  they  were  trying  to  think  what  he 
meant,  the  woman  returned  with  many  others, 
for  she  had  told  her  friends  and  acquaintances 
of  the  wonderfid  man  at  the  well.  "  He  told 
me  all  the  things  that  ever  I  did,"  she  declared. 
"Can  this  be  the  Christ?"  Crowds  of  the 
Samaritans  came  to  hear  him.  "  Come  and 
live  with  us,"  they  pleaded.  This  could  not 
be,  for  Jesus  must  preach  also  to  others,  but 
he  stayed  with  them  two  days.  It  was  a  happy 
time  for  him,  for  these  Samaritans  listened  to 
every  word  that  he  spoke ;  and  then  they  de- 
clared, "We  have  heard  for  ourselves,  and 
this  is  surely  the  Christ  who  will  save  the 
world." 


^i^x\^  aiv3  ^oj\9€r/ 


VII 

SIGNS    AND    WONDERS 

After  Jesus  left  the  Samaritans,  he  journeved 
on  into  Galilee,  for  he  longed  to  be  with  his 
old  friends.  He  had  done  many  miracles  in 
Jerusalem,  and  although  we  do  not  know  what 
they  were,  we  know  they  were  so  great  that 
wherever  he  went  in  Galilee  he  was  followed 
by  crowds.  Sometimes  these  people  came  to 
listen  to  him,  but  oftener  to  beg  him  to  work 
some  wonder  for  them.  The  men  of  Cana 
were  especially  eager  to  see  him,  for  every 
one  there  had  heard  of  his  turning  water  into 
wine  at  the  wedding  feast. 

When  he  reached  Cana,  it  was  the  seventh 
hour,  that  is,  an  hour  after  noon.  In  Pales- 
tine no  one  goes  out  in  the  sun  at  noon  if  he 
can  help  it,  but  even  in  the  heat  many  people 
stood  waiting  to  hear  Jesus.  Suddenly  one 
of  King  Antipas's  officers  galloped  up  on 
horseback  and  dashed  into  the  crowd,  scatter- 


88  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

ing  the  people  to  right  and  to  left.  He  would 
not  be  delayed  for  a  moment.  "  Sir,  sir,"  he 
cried,  "  come  with  me  !  My  son  is  dying  at 
Capernaum.     Come  with  me  and  heal  him  !  " 

The  crowd  made  a  little  circle  around 
Jesus  and  the  officer,  and  waited  to  see  what 
the  rabbi  would  do.  Every  one  looked  at 
Jesus.  The  father  besought  him,  "  Come  with 
me,  come  with  me  !  "  but  the  rabbi  took  no 
step  toward  Capernaum.  For  a  moment  he 
seemed  lost  in  thought ;  then  he  said  a  little 
sadly,  "  You  will  not  believe  me  unless  you 
see  signs  and  wonders."  "  Sir,  come  with 
me !  "  pleaded  the  officer.  "  Come  with  me 
before  my  child  is  dead  !  "  Then  first  Jesus 
turned  toward  him  and  said  kindly,  "  Go  your 
way,  your  son  will  live."  The  officer  hesi- 
tated and  looked  at  him.  His  face  was  calm ; 
it  did  not  show  a  shadow  of  doubt. 

Then  the  man  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and 
galloped  down  the  road  toward  Capernaum, 
twenty  miles  away.  Before  he  had  reached 
his  house,  he  saw  a  group  of  his  servants  run- 
ning to  meet  him,  each  one  anxious  to  be  the 
first  to  tell  the  good  news.  "  Master,  master," 
they  all  shouted  together,  "  your  son  is  living  ! 
The  fever  is  gone  !     He  is  g-ettinii:  better !  " 


SIGNS  AND  WONDERS  89 

The  father  was  almost  afraid  to  believe  their 
story.  Could  it  be  true?  "When  did  he 
begin  to  gain  ?  "  he  asked,  and  they  cried, 
"  At  the  seventh  hour  the  fever  left  him." 
"It  is  the  Christ,"  thought  the  father,  and 
when  he  had  told  his  family  and  his  servants, 
they  all  said,  "  It  is  the  Christ." 

Jesus  did  not  stay  long  in  Cana,  but  went 
on  to  Nazareth.  It  was  his  old  home,  where 
he  had  worked  and  played  and  studied.  Every 
narrow  street,  every  little  house,  was  familiar 
to  him.  The  g-low  of  the  sunshine  on  the  hills 
and  the  deep  shadows  of  the  valleys  he  had 
seen  ever  since  his  first  remembrance.  Around 
him  were  his  old  neighbors.  His  heart  was 
full  of  love  toward  them.  "I  can  tell  them 
the  good  news  that  the  Christ  has  come,  and 
that  they  need  no  longer  wait  and  hope  for 
him  in  vain,"  he  said  to  himself. 

On  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath  he  went 
into  the  familiar  house  of  worship.  A  stranger 
rabbi  visiting  a  synagogue  was  often  allowed 
to  read  and  explain  the  Scripture  lesson,  and 
this  permission  was  given  to  Jesus.  He  re- 
peated the  usual  prayers,  and  followed  the 
customs  of  the  synagogue  just  as  any  other 
rabbi  would  have    done.      Then  the  parch- 


90  THE  CHRIST    STORY 

ment  roll  on  which  was  the  Scripture  lesson 
for  the  day  was  passed  to  him.  He  read  from 
it  and  returned  it  to  the  clerk.  To  show 
reverence  for  the  Scriptures,  it  was  the  habit 
of  all  strict  Jews  to  keep  their  eyes  fixed 
on  the  roll  till  it  had  heen  laid  back  in  the 
sacred  ark,  or  chest,  but  the  eyes  of  the 
people  of  Nazareth  were  fixed  on  Jesus,  for 
they  had  heard  of  what  he  had  done  in  Cana 
and  in  Jerusalem,  and  they  did  not  wish  to 
lose  a  motion  or  a  word.  This  is  what  he 
read,  a  part  of  the  book  of  Isaiah :  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to 
the  poor ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release 
to  the  captive,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
bhnd,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 
to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 
Every  one  in  the  synagogue  knew  that  these 
words  referred  to  the  coming  of  Christ,  and 
perhaps  some  of  them  guessed  what  Jesus 
would  say  next. 

He  sat  down,  according  to  the  custom  when 
one  was  to  preach,  and  his  first  sentence  was, 
"To-day  this  Scripture  is  fulfilled;  "  and  then 
he  told  them  even  more  clearly  that  he  was 
the   Christ.     His  words   were    so    simple,   so 


SIGNS  AND  WONDERS  91 

earnest,  so  gracious,  and  also  so  powerful, 
that  at  first  his  listeners  were  delighted.  Then 
they  began  to  say  to  themselves  sneeringly, 
"  Christ  will  raise  an  army.  He  will  be  a 
great  man.  This  is  only  the  carpenter's  son. 
We  have  known  him  ever  since  he  was  a  little 
child.  If  he  wants  us  to  beheve  in  him,  let 
him  do  some  miracles ;  he  could  do  miracles 
enough  in  other  places.  Do  here  in  your  own 
country  what  you  did  in  Capernaum,"  they 
cried  aloud,  "  and  we  will  believe  in  you." 

Then  said  Jesus,  "No  man  is  looked  upon  in 
his  own  country  as  a  prophet.  In  the  days  of 
Ehjah,  when  there  was  a  great  famine  over  all 
the  land,  there  were  many  Jewish  widows,  but 
Elijah  was  not  sent  to  them  ;  he  was  sent  to  a 
widow  in  the  land  of  Sidon.  And  so  in  the 
time  of  Elisha  there  were  many  Jewish  lepers, 
but  Naaman  the  Syrian  was  healed,  not  they." 

Then  the  Nazarenes  were  angry.  "The 
Jews  are  the  chosen  people,"  they  cried,  "  and 
this  carpenter's  son  compares  even  his  own 
townsfolk  to  a  widow  of  Sidon  and  a  leper  of 
Syria.  This  blasphemer  has  called  himself 
the  Christ."  They  forgot  aU  their  old  love 
for  the  young  man  who  had  grown  up  among 
them.     They  pushed  him  before  them,  shriek- 


92  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

ing  words  of  rage  and  scorn  and  muttering 
curses.  "  To  the  rock,  to  the  rock  !  "  they 
cried  hoarsely,  thrusting  him  onward.  He 
did  not  resist,  he  did  not  speak  a  word  of 
anger  or  of  defense  ;  but  when  he  stood  on 
the  verge  of  the  precipice,  he  turned  about 
and  gazed  upon  them  silently.  His  face 
showed  such  purity,  such  pity  for  their  igno- 
rance and  obstinacy,  such  sternness  of  scorn, 
that  they  stood  before  him  in  silence,  and 
passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  he  went 
away. 

He  was  very  sad,  for  his  own  village,  his 
own  neighbors,  had  driven  him  out  from  among 
them.  He  longed  to  see  Andrew  and  John 
and  Peter,  the  men  who  trusted  him  and 
believed  in  him,  and  he  went  to  Capernaum, 
which  was  now  the  home  of  Peter.  Early  in 
the  morning  he  went  to  walk  beside  the  Sea 
of  Gahlee,  to  meet  these  loving  friends  as  soon 
as  they  should  come  in  from  the  night's  fish- 
ing. There  they  were,  Andrew  and  Peter, 
and  a  little  farther  on,  John  and  his  brother 
James  with  their  father,  mending  their  nets 
and  washing  them.  They  were  very  glad  to 
see  him,  but  they  had  only  a  little  while  to 
talk  together,  for  the  people  of   Capernaum 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  93 

had  found  out  where  Jesus  had  gone  and  had 
followed  him.  "  Teach  us,"  they  begged,  and 
Jesus  could  not  refuse.  He  got  into  Peter's 
boat  and  said,  "  Put  out  a  little  from  the 
land."  Then  he  sat  down  and  talked  to  the 
people  on  the  shore,  telling  them  of  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

He  had  noticed  that  there  were  no  fish  in 
the  boats,  and  when  he  had  finished  speaking  to 
the  multitude,  he  turned  to  Peter  and  Andrew 
and  said,  "  Put  out  into  the  deep  and  let  down 
your  nets."  Peter  answered,  "  Rabbi,  we  have 
had  our  nets  out  all  night  and  have  taken  no- 
thing." He  must  have  said  to  himself,  "  The 
rabbi  can  tell  us  about  the  kingdom  of  God,  but 
I  know  more  about  fishing."  Nevertheless  he 
added,  "  If  you  say  so,  I  will  let  down  the  nets." 
Then  he  let  down  the  nets,  and  in  a  Httle  while 
they  were  so  full  of  fish  that  they  began  to 
break.  "  Come  and  help  us,"  the  men  cried 
to  John  and  James,  who  were  their  partners, 
and  the  others  rowed  up  as  fast  as  they  could. 
One  boat  was  filled  with  fish,  then  the  other, 
and  very  soon  they  were  so  heavily  loaded 
that  they  began  to  sink.  When  Peter  saw 
that  Jesus  had  power  over  even  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  he  was  ashamed  that  he  had  doubted  him. 


94  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

• 

He  fell  down  at  Jesus'  feet  and  cried,  "  I  am 
not  worthy  to  be  near  you,  Lord,  for  I  am  a 
sinful  man."  Jesus  looked  at  him  and  said, 
"  Do  not  be  afraid,  Peter.  You  have  caught 
fish,  and  they  have  died  ;  from  now  you  shall 
catch  men,  and  they  shall  live."  Jesus  had 
sent  these  fishermen  back  to  their  work  for  a 
while,  but  now  the  time  had  come  when  he 
wished  to  have  them  with  him,  that  he  might 
teach  them  how  to  teach  others.  They  had 
been  very  sorry  to  be  sent  away  from  him  even 
for  a  little  time,  and  when  he  said,  "  Follow 
me,"  they  left  boats  and  nets  and  followed  hun 
gladly. 

He  led  them  away  from  the  shore  of  the 
lake  back  into  the  city,  and  there  he  lived 
with  them.  When  the  Sabbath  came,  they 
went  to  the  synagogue,  and  Jesus  preached 
to  the  people.  They  were  all  listening  when 
suddenly  a  loud  cry  was  heard,  "  Are  you 
come  to  torment  us  ?  I  know  you ;  you  are 
the  Holy  One  of  God,"  and  a  man  fell  upon 
the  floor,  writhing  in  convulsions.  "He  is 
possessed  by  an  unclean  spirit,"  cried  the 
people,  and  they  would  have  carried  him  out, 
but  Jesus  turned  to  the  man  and  said,  "  Be 
quiet,  and  come  out  of  him."     The  man  gave 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  95 

a  piercing  shriek  and  then  was  quiet.  The 
people  looked  on  in  amazement.  When  a 
man  behaved  as  if  he  were  insane,  the  men  of 
that  time  always  said  that  an  unclean  spirit 
had  taken  possession  of  him.  Jesus  did  not 
stop  to  question  whether  this  was  the  way  to 
explain  the  trouble  or  not ;  he  simply  cured 
the  man. 

When  the  service  in  the  synagogue  was 
over,  Jesus  and  James  and  John  went  to  the 
home  of  Peter  and  Andrew,  for  Peter's  wife's 
mother  was  sick  of  a  fever,  and  they  had  told 
hmi  how  she  was  suffering.  Jesus  stood  look- 
ing at  her  in  pity  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
took  her  by  the  hand  and  bade  the  fever  leave 
her.  In  an  instant  she  was  well,  and  went 
about  the  house  doing  everything  that  she 
could  to  make  them  comfortable. 

That  afternoon,  while  Jesus  was  resting  at 
the  house  of  Peter,  Capernaum  and  the  region 
roundabout  were  talking  of  the  cure  of  the 
man  in  the  synagogue.  All  the  sick  people 
who  heard  of  it  began  to  hope  that  this  won- 
derful new  healer  would  also  cure  them.  The 
Jews  were  forbidden  to  carry  burdens  on  the 
Sabbath  day  or  to  walk  farther  than  a  certain 
distance,  but  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  set,  the 


96  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

trumpet  blew  to  announce  that  the  Sabbath 
was  over,  and  then  the  whole  town  swarmed 
with  sick  folk.  Those  who  could  walk  came 
on  foot,  and  those  who  could  not  were  carried 
by  their  friends.  From  far  out  in  the  country 
around  Capernaum  suffering  people,  who  had 
long  ago  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  being  well 
ao-am,  were  brought  in  wagons,  on  litters,  car- 
ried on  the  backs  of  asses,  or  borne  in  the 
arms  of  relatives,  to  the  door  of  Peter's  house. 
"  Come  and  heal  us,"  they  begged,  and  Jesus 
healed  every  one.  He  went  about  among 
them  making  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk  and 
leap  for  joy,  stopping  pain,  restoring  the  in- 
sane to  their  right  mind,  and  giving  strength 
and  health  to  those  who  had  suffered  for  many 
years. 

The  prophet  Isaiah,  who  foretold  so  much 
about  the  coming  of  Christ,  said  that  he  would 
"bear  all  our  sicknesses."  Perhaps  this  means 
that  whenever  he  cured  any  one,  he  himseK 
suffered,  but  to  those  who  looked  on  he  seemed 
to  speak  a  word  only  and  the  sufferer  was 
healed.  It  is  no  wonder  that  sick  people  came 
to  him  that  evening  by  hundreds.  Late  into 
the  night  he  healed  one  after  another.  When 
the  time  came  that  he  might  have  slept,  he 


a 


SIGNS  AND  WONDERS  97 

rose,  and  iif  the  gray   of  the  early  morning 
he  went  out  into  the  desert  to  pray. 

As  soon  as  the  light  had  come,  other  crowds 
of  sick  people  surrounded  the  house  of  Peter. 
Where  is  he ?  "  they  cried  piteously.  "  Rabbi, 
rabbi,  come  and  heal  us.  Where  is  he  gone?" 
Peter  and  the  other  three  went  out  into  the 
desert  to  find  Jesus.  "  Master,"  they  said, 
"the  whole  city  is  looking  for  you,"  and  indeed 
a  oreat  multitude  were  close  behind  them. 
"  Do  not  leave  us,"  the  sufferers  pleaded, 
for  he  turned  to  go  away  from  Capernaum. 
"  Stay  with  us  and  heal  us.  Are  there  not 
sick  enough  here?"  It  was  very  hard  for 
Jesus  to  refuse  them,  but  he  coidd  not  stay. 
"  I  must  preach  the  good  news  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  to  other  cities  also,"  he  said.  Still 
they  pleaded,  but  Jesus  said,  "  That  is  why  I 
was  sent,"  and  they  were  hushed. 

Now  among  all  the  sick  that  he  had  healed, 
no  leper  had  ventured  to  come  to  him.  Lep- 
rosy was  so  horrible  a  disease  that  the  law 
forbade  one  suffering  from  it  to  live  near  other 
people.  He  was  even  forbidden  to  speak  to 
any  one,  lest  the  person  addressed  should 
become  "  unclean,"  even  if  he  did  not  catch 
the  disease.     The  leper  must  live  alone,  far 


98  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

from  other  men,  and  if  any  oner  came  near, 
he  must  cry,  "  Unclean,  unclean  !  "  He  grew 
every  day  to  look  more  and  more  loathsome. 
When  a  man  was  "  full  of  leprosy,"  there  was 
no  cure,  and  he  was  thought  of,  even  by  his 
friends,  as  if  he  were  already  dead. 

In  some  way  one  of  these  sufferers  heard  of 
the  wonderful  cures  of  this  new  rabbi,  and  in 
spite  of  laws  and  penalties  he  made  his  way  to 
Jesus,  and  fell  down  upon  the  ground  before 
him.  "Lord,  Lord,"  he  pleaded,  "you  can 
cure  me  if  you  only  will."  Now  whoever 
touched  a  leper  became  "  unclean,"  according 
to  the  teachings  of  the  rabbis,  but  Jesus  paid 
no  heed  to  that.  He  put  out  his  hand  and 
touched  him.  "I  will,"  he  said,  without  a 
moment's  delay;  "be  clean,"  —  and  in  an  in- 
stant the  leprosy  was  gone.  If  Jesus  spent 
all  his  time  healing  the  sick,  he  could  not 
teach,  so  he  told  the  man  who  had  been  a 
leper  to  show  himself  to  the  priests,  that  he 
might  be  admitted  to  the  synagogue  and  live 
with  his  friends  again,  but  not  to  tell  others 
of  his  cure.  The  grateful  man  meant  to  obey, 
but  he  was  so  overjoyed  that  he  could  not 
keep  still.  "  The  new  rabbi  has  cured  a 
leper,"  said  one  to  another.     The  whole  city 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  99 

rang  with  the  story,  and  great  crowds  thronged 
about  Jesus  wherever  he  appeared. 

One  day  when  he  had  returned  to  Caper- 
naum, people  found  that  he  was  staying  in  the 
house  of  Peter,  and  so  many  came  to  hear  him 
that  the  room  was  full,  the  doorway  was  full, 
and  the  crowd  filled  the  street.  They  pressed 
forward  so  eagerly  to  hear  that  four  men  who 
came  late  could  not  possibly  make  their  way 
through  the  throng.  These  men  were  carrying 
in  a  litter,  or  hammock,  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy. 
They  looked  at  Jesus,  at  the  crowd,  and  then 
they  spoke  together  in  low  tones.  "  We  can 
do  it,"  they  said,  and  they  went  around  to 
the  back  of  the  house  and  up  the  stairs  that 
led  from  the  yard  to  the  flat  roof.  In  Pales- 
tine, however  strong  the  walls  of  a  house 
might  be,  the  roof  was  often  very  lightly  built. 
Sometimes  it  was  made  by  merely  laying  short 
sticks  across  the  rafters,  and  covering  them 
with  earth  mixed  with  chopped  straw,  and 
beaten  hard  and  smooth.  It  was  not  a  diffi- 
cult matter  for  four  strong  men  to  tear  a  hole 
through  a  roof  of  this  sort  and  let  the  sick 
man,  still  swung  in  his  hammock,  down  into 
the  presence  of  the  speaker.  Jesus  was  glad 
of  such  an   interruption   as  this,  because  he 


100  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

knew  that  they  believed  in  him,  or  else  they 
would  not  have  tried  so  hard  to  reach  him. 
There  was  something  else  that  made  him 
happy,  and  that  was  the  way  the  sick  man 
behaved.  He  could  not  speak,  but  he  did  not 
beg",  even  with  his  eyes,  to  be  cured  of  his 
disease;  he  seemed  to  think  of  nothing  but 
hearino^  what  Jesus  said.  Jesus  knew  what 
he  wanted,  and  he  would  not  make  him  wait 
another  moment.  He  stopped  preaching  and 
turned  toward  the  man.  "  Son,"  he  said,  "be 
of  good  cheer;  your  sins  are  forgiven." 

This  was  what  the  paralyzed  man  had 
hoped,  and  his  eyes  shone  with  happiness. 
But  amono"  the  hearers  were  some  Pharisees 
and  scribes  sitting  in  a  little  group  by  them- 
selves. They  frowned  and  muttered,  "  The 
man  is  a  blasphemer.  No  one  but  God  can 
forgive  sins."  Jesus  knew  what  they  were 
saying,  and  he  asked  them  quietly,  "Which  is 
easier,  to  say  to  a  paralyzed  man,  Your  sins 
are  forgiven,  or  to  say.  Arise  and  walk  ? 
Now  see  that  I  have  power  to  forgive  sins." 
Then  he  said  to  the  sick  man,  "  Arise,  take  up 
your  bed  and  go  to  your  house."  The  sick 
man  arose,  took  his  hammock,  and  walked 
away  joyfully,  for  Jesus  had   done   for  him 


LETTING   DOWN   THE   SICK    MAN 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  101 

much  more  than  he  had  asked  or  expected. 
The  people  were  amazed.  Some  said,  "  I 
never  saw  anything  Hke  it !  "  and  some  cried, 
"  Praise  the  Lord  because  he  has  given  such 
power  to  men  ! "  The  Pharisees  and  scribes 
had  not  a  word  to  say,  for  they  themselves 
had  taught  that  if  a  man  was  sick,  it  was 
because  he  had  sinned,  and  that  he  could  not 
be  cured  unless  his  sins  were  forgiven  ;  so 
according  to  their  own  teaching,  the  man's 
sins  had  really  been  forgiven  or  else  he  would 
not  have  been  healed. 

So  many  heard  of  this  and  the  other  won- 
ders wrought  by  Jesus  that  more  people  than 
ever  came  to  hmi.  He  could  not  teach  them 
all,  and  he  needed  more  disciples  to  learn  of 
him  and  then  to  help  him  preach.  The  next 
one  that  he  chose  was  named  Matthew.  Theie 
was  much  talking  about  this  choice,  and  many 
of  the  most  sincere  friends  of  Jesus  thought 
he  had  made  a  mistake,  for  Matthew  was  a 
publican,  or  collector  of  duties  on  goods  en- 
tering the  country.  Many  publicans  cheated 
those  who  wished  to  buy  or  sell,  and  therefore 
the  Jews  despised  them  all.  Moreover,  these 
taxes  went  to  the  Roman  emperor,  and  the 
Jews  scorned  a  man  who  would  help  to  tax 


102  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

his  race  to  enrich  one  who  was  not  of  the 
people  Avhom  God  had  chosen  for  his  own. 
Neither  a  puhHcan  nor  any  member  of  his 
family  could  be  a  witness  in  a  Jewish  court, 
and  no  Jew  who  was  at  all  strict  would  sit  at 
the  table  with  them.  Jesus  paid  no  heed  to 
such  prejudice  ;  he  would  not  blame  a  whole 
class  because  some  members  of  it  were  unjust, 
and  he  asked  Matthew  to  become  one  of 
his  followers.  Matthew  obeyed  gladly.  He 
wanted  to  do  something  for  Jesus  to  show  his 
joy,  and  all  that  he  could  think  of  was  to  give 
a  great  feast  in  his  honor.  No  strict  Jew 
would  come,  of  course,  but  many  pubhcans  and 
others  were  present,  —  men  whom  the  Phar- 
isees called  "  sinners,"  because  they  did  not 
obey  the  ceremonial  law.  The  disciples  went 
because  Jesus  did  ;  but  even  they  hardly  knew 
what  to  answer  when  the  Pharisees  and  scribes 
said  to  them,  "  So  this  rabbi  of  yours  eats  and 
drinks  with  pubhcans  and  sinners.  How  is 
that  ?  "  When  Jesus  heard  the  question,  he 
said,  "  They  that  are  w^ell  do  not  need  a  physi- 
cian, but  they  that  are  sick.  I  am  not  come 
to  call  the  righteous  to  repentance,  but  the 


sinners." 


That    question    w^as    easily    answered,    but 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  103 

others  were  constantly  arising.  Both  the 
Pharisees  and  many  of  the  followers  of  John 
the  baptizer  were  watching  everything  that 
Jesus  did,  for  they  all  thought  it  was  very 
strange  that  he  did  not  tell  his  disciples  to 
obey  the  ceremonial  law.  Some  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  John  came  to  Jesus  one  day  and 
asked,  "  Why  is  it  that  we  and  the  Pharisees 
keep  the  fasts  of  the  rabbis,  and  your  disciples 
do  not  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I  am  with  my 
disciples  now,  and  they  are  happy,  but  when 
I  have  left  them,  then  they  will  fast  and 
mourn."  The  men  did  not  seem  to  under- 
stand, and  he  said,  "  If  a  patch  of  new^  cloth 
is  sewed  upon  an  old,  thin  garment,  it  will 
tear  away  the  old  cloth  and  be  of  no  use.  If 
new  wine  is  put  into  old  bottles,  it  will  fei- 
ment  and  break  the  bottles." 

Bottles  for  wine  w^ere  made  by  skinnmg  an 
animal  and  tying  up  the  holes  w^here  the  head 
and  lesrs  had  been.  The  skm  was  tanned,  and 
when  it  was  new,  it  would  bear  the  fermen- 
ttition  of  new^  wine ;  but  w  hen  the  skin  was 
old,  it  would  crack  and  burst  if  new  wine  was 
poured  into  it.  Then  John's  followers  undei-- 
stood  that  Jesus  meant  that  the  hearts  of  his 
disciples  were  full  of  the  new  teaching,  and 


104  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

they  could  not  be  bound  down  by  the  old 
forms  that  the  rabbis  had  taught  them. 

These  disciples  of  John  had  been  hon- 
estly puzzled  about  the  difference  between 
their  master's  teachings  and  those  of  the  new 
rabbi,  but  the  next  miracle  that  Jesus  wrought 
did  not  puzzle  those  who  saw  it  so  much  as  it 
made  them  angry.  He  went  to  make  a  short 
stay  in  Jerusalem,  and  as  he  stood  near  the 
Temple,  his  eyes  fell  upon  a  pitiful  company. 
Some  were  lame,  some  blind,  and  the  limbs 
of  some  were  withered.  They  were  all  gath- 
ered close  beside  a  pool  called  "  Bethesda," 
meaning  "  house  of  mercy."  It  had  been 
made  by  hewing  out  an  immense  tank  in  the 
rock,  and  was  fed  by  a  spring  that  flowed  only 
part  of  the  time.  People  believed  that  the 
flowing,  or  "  troubling,"  of  the  water  was 
caused  by  an  angel's  visiting  the  pool,  and 
that  whoever  first  stepped  into  the  water  after 
the  coming  of  the  angel  would  receive  mercy, 
and  would  be  cured  of  whatever  disease  he  had. 

Among  the  sufferers  was  one  who  had  been 
almost  helpless  for  a  long  time.  He  could 
move  a  little,  but  very  slowly ;  still  he  had 
lingered  by  the  pool  year  after  year,  hoping 
that  he  might  some  day  be  the  first  to  enter 


SIGNS  AND   WONDERS  105 

the  water  after  the  visit  of  the  angel.  Jesus 
pitied  his  long  waiting,  and  pitied  still  more 
his  folly  in  thinking  that  the  water  would 
cure  him.  Then  he  asked,  "  Do  you  wish  to 
be  cured  ?  "  The  sick  man  answered,  "  Sir, 
I  have  no  one  to  put  me  into  the  pool  when 
the  water  is  troubled,  and  while  I  am  trying 
to  get  there,  some  one  else  steps  down  before 
me."  Then  Jesus  said,  "  Arise,  take  up  your 
bed,  and  walk."  The  man  was  amazed.  He 
looked  at  the  stranoer  to  see  if  he  was  in 
earnest ;  then  he  tried,  very  slowly  and  care- 
fully, to  see  whether  he  could  really  move. 
He  felt  a  new  strength  in  his  limbs ;  he  arose, 
took  up  the  mat  on  which  he  had  been  lying, 
and  walked  away,  too  much  surprised  to  give 
his  healer  a  word  of  thanks  or  even  to  ask 
who  he  was. 

Now  this  was  done  on  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
laws  of  the  rabbis  for  keeping  the  Sabbath 
were  very  strict.  One  kind  of  knot  might 
be  tied  on  that  day,  and  another  was  forbid- 
den ;  to  write  two  letters  of  the  alphabet  on 
parchment  was  forbidden,  but  they  might  be 
traced  on  the  sand  or  in  the  dust.  To  carry 
a  bundle  was  looked  upon  as  a  specially  grave 
offense  against  the  law ;  even  food  could  not 


106  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

be  carried  if  it  was  as  great  in  bulk  as  a  dried 
fig.  It  was  no  wonder,  then,  that  when  the 
rabbis  saw  this  man  carrying  his  sleeping  mat 
through  the  city,  they  stopped  him  and  said, 
"  It  is  against  the  law  for  you  to  carry  your 
bed."  The  man  did  not  lay  down  his  burden, 
but  replied,  "  The  man  who  cured  me  told  me 
to  carry  it."  "  Who  was  he  ?  "  they  asked.  "  I 
don't  know,"  he  answered.  Later  Jesus  saw 
him  in  the  Temple  and  said  to  him,  "Now  you 
are  well,  but  if  you  sin  again,  something  worse 
than  this  sickness  may  happen  to  you."  Then 
the  man  told  the  rabbis  that  it  was  Jesus 
who  had  cured  him.  They  were  angry  and 
indignant  and  accused  Jesus  of  working  on 
the  Sabbath.  He  made  no  excuse,  but  said, 
"  My  Father  is  always  working  for  the  good 
of  men,  and  I  work  also."  Then  priests  and 
rabbis,  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  raged.  "  He 
has  broken  the  holy  Sabbath,"  they  cried. 
"  He  has  called  himself  equal  with  God." 
Jesus  said  to  them  even  more  clearly,  "  What- 
ever my  Father  does  I  do  also,  because  my 
Father  loves  me  and  shows  me  what  he  does. 
I  shall  do  even  greater  things  than  you  have 
yet  seen,  for  I  shall  raise  the  dead ;  and  i£ 
you  do  not  honor  me,  you  do  not  honor  my 


SIGNS  AND   WONDERS  107 

Father."  Jesus  pitied  them  because  they 
were  so  ignorant  and  so  obstinate,  and  after 
a  moment's  pause,  he  said  to  them  gently, 
"  He  who  Hstens  to  my  words  will  have  eter- 
nal hfe ;  even  those  that  are  dead  will  hear 
my  voice  and  they  shall  live.  I  do  not  try  to 
have  my  own  will,  but  to  obey  the  will  of  my 
Father,  who  sent  me  to  the  earth.  You  say 
that  I  am  talking  about  myself,  and  that  there- 
fore my  words  are  of  no  value ;  but  John  the 
baptizer  told  you  of  me,  and  my  Father  himself 
tells  you  to  believe  me  because  he  has  given 
me  power  to  do  such  wonders." 

Then  the  priests  and  rabbis  were  even  more 
angry,  but  so  many  of  the  people  believed 
John  was  a  prophet  that  they  hardly  dared 
to  say  anything  against  what  he  had  taught ; 
they  could  only  mutter  sullenly  among  them- 
selves. Jesus  went  on,  "  You  say  that  you 
search  the  Scriptures,  but  the  Scriptures  tell 
of  me,  and  you  will  not  come  to  me.  You 
care  nothing  for  the  love  of  God ;  you  seek 
only  for  the  honors  that  men  can  give." 

The  priests  and  rabbis  were  so  indignant 
that  they  could  hardly  keep  still ;  but  there 
was  nothing  for  them  to  say,  and  Jesus  went 
on,  ^'  I  am  not  accusing  you.     You  say  that 


108  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

you  believe  Moses,  your  own  lawgiver,  and  lie 
is  the  one  that  accuses  you,  for  he  told  of  me ; 
but  if  you  do  not  believe  him,  how  can  you 
believe  my  words  ?  " 

Jesus  and  his  disciples  left  Jerusalem,  but 
wherever  he  went,  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
watched  him  closely,  especially  on  the  Sabbath. 
They  even  blamed  him  because  when  he  and 
his  disciples  were  going  through  a  grainfield 
on  the  Sabbath,  he  allowed  them  to  pick  the 
ears  of  barley.  The  law  permitted  any  one 
who  was  hungry  to  pick  all  the  grain  that  he 
w^anted  to  eat  from  any  field  that  he  passed 
through,  but  the  Pharisees  said  that  the  dis- 
ciples had  no  right  to  pick  grain  on  that  day. 
The  law  was  that  grain  must  not  be  reaped  or 
threshed  on  the  Sabbath,  and  they  declared 
that  picking  barley  was  reaping,  and  rubbing 
off  the  grain  between  the  hands  was  thresh- 
ing. Jesus  turned  upon  them  and  demanded, 
"  Have  you  not  read  in  the  Scriptures  that 
when  King  David  was  fleeing  from  Saul,  he 
and  his  followers  went  into  the  house  of  God 
and  ate  the  shewbread,  which,  according  to 
the  law,  could  be  eaten  by  no  one  but  the 
priests  ?  Do  not  even  the  priests  in  the  Tem- 
ple break  the  law  by  working  on  the  Sabbath 


SIGNS   AND   WONDERS  109 

to  carry  on  the  services  of  the  Temple  ?  God 
"wishes  for  mercy  and  goodness,  not  ceremonies 
and  sacrifices.  The  Sabbath  was  made  for 
man,  not  man  for  the  Sabbath.  Moreover,  I 
am  lord  even  of  the  Sabbath."  There  was  no 
answer  that  the  Pharisees  could  make.  They 
could  not  blame  the  great  King  David,  and 
they  could  not  find  fault  with  their  own  priests, 
so  they  went  back  to  the  town. 

That  time  they  had  been  foiled,  but  they 
still  hoped  to  discover  Jesus  breaking  some 
one  of  the  Sabbath  laws  and  unable  to  defend 
himself,  for  then  they  could  make  an  accusa- 
tion against  him.  One  Sabbath  morning  when 
he  went  into  the  synagogue  to  teach,  the 
Pharisees  saw  him  looking  at  a  man  whose 
right  hand  was  withered,  and  they  were  glad. 
The  law  forbade  even  the  setting  of  a  broken 
bone  on  the  Sabbath,  and  they  were  so  certain 
that  Jesus  would  cure  this  man  that  they 
thouofht,  "  Now  we  shall  be  able  to  accuse 
un. 

Jesus  saw  them  glance  at  the  man,  then 
at  him.  He  saw  how  pleased  and  triumphant 
they  looked,  and  he  knew  what  they  were 
thinking.  He  said  to  the  man,  "  Stand  up 
in  the  midst  of  the  synagogue."     The  man 


110  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

obeyed,  and  when  tliey  were  all  looking  at 
him,  Jesus  turned  to  the  Pharisees  and  scribes 
and  asked,  "  Is  it  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sab- 
bath day  or  to  do  evil,  to  save  life  or  to  destroy 
it  ?  "  They  could  not  say  it  was  wrong  to  do 
a  good  deed,  and  he  went  on,  "  If  a  sheep  falls 
into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath,  it  is  allowable  to 
take  it  out,  is  it  not  ?  Which  one  of  you 
would  not  do  so?  "  The  rabbis  scowled  and 
were  silent.  "  A  man  is  worth  more  than  a 
sheep,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  therefore  it  is  lawful 
to  do  good  to  a  man  on  the  Sabbath."  The 
man  with  the  withered  arm  was  still  standing, 
fearing  that  the  rabbis  would  blame  him  and 
hoping  that  Jesus  would  cure  him.  "  Stretch 
out  your  arm,"  bade  Jesus,  and  the  man  obeyed 
him  gladly.  In  a  moment  the  arm  was  as 
well  and  sound  as  the  other.  The  scribes 
were  foiled  again.  They  went  out  sullenly, 
and  talked  together  about  Jesus  trying  to 
plan  some  way  to  destroy  him. 


VIII 

JESUS    AND    THE    PHARISEES 

Jesus  paid  no  attention  to  those  who  were 
plotting  against  him,  but  went  about  in  Gali- 
lee curing  and  preaching.  •  Wherever  he  went, 
throngs  of  the  sick  surrounded  him.  They 
did  not  wait  for  him  to  heal  them,  but  tried 
to  press  near  enough  to  touch  him,  believing 
that  even  a  touch  would  make  them  well. 
Sometimes  they  crowded  about  him  so  that  he 
had  to  get  into  a  boat  and  row  out  a  little  way 
from  the  land  before  he  could  speak  to  them. 
His  best  loved  disciples  were  always  with 
him.  Often  they  did  not  understand  what  he 
said,  but  they  loved  him,  and  every  day  he 
was  teaching  them  to  understand  him  better. 
There  were  seven  now ;  they  were  Andrew, 
John,  James,  Peter,  Phihp,  Nathanael  or  Bar- 
tholomew, and  Matthew.  He  meant  to  choose 
five  more,  but  before  he  made  his  choice,  he 
went  up  on  a  mountain  and  spent  the  whole 


114  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

night  in  prayer.  Many  of  his  followers  waited 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  when  it  was 
day,  he  called  them  and  told  them  that  he  had 
chosen  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alpheus, 
Thaddeus,  Simon  the  Canaanite,  and  Judas 
Iscariot.  He  told  these  twelve  that  they  were 
to  be  his  apostles,  that  is,  men  who  were  "  sent 
forth  "  to  teach  others.  They  must  have  been 
very  happy  to  know  that  out  of  all  the  multi- 
tudes that  had  listened  to  Jesus,  they  were  the 
ones  chosen  to  tell  others  about  his  teaching  ; 
but  they  could  hardly  help  fearing  that  they 
might  make  some  mistakes  in  their  work. 

Jesus  knew  this,  and  although  crowds  were 
waiting  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  hear 
him  speak,  the  first  words  of  his  teaching 
seem  to  have  been  spoken  especially  to  encour- 
age the  twelve  disciples.  "  Blessed  are  the  poor 
in  spirit,"  that  is,  the  humble,  he  said ;  and 
then  he  told  them  why,  "  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  Many  of  the  Jews  had 
thought  that  a  man  would  be  blessed,  or  have 
the  favor  of  God,  if  he  was  careful  to  offer  up 
sacrifices  at  the  Temple  and  keep  the  laws  of 
the  rabbis,  but  Jesus  said  that  the  really  blessed 
men  were  those  who  were  meek  and  merciful 
and  pure  in  heart,  and  who  longed  to  be  good, 


JESUS  AND   THE   PHARISEES  115 

as  people  long  for  food  when  they  ai'je  hungry 
or  for  water  when  they  are  thirsty.  He  knew 
that  his  disciples  would  have  to  meet  much 
trouble  because  they  believed  in  him,  so  he 
said,  "  Blessed  are  you  when  men  persecute 
you  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you 
falsely  for  my  sake." 

He  told  them  how  great  a  work  they  were  to 
do  for  the  whole  world.  "  You  are  the  lisfht 
of  the  world,"  he  said,  "  and  you  must  let 
your  light  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see 
your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven.  If  you  obey  God's  command- 
ments and  teach  men  to  obey  them,  you  will 
be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

The  rest  of  the  sermon  was  meant  not  only 
for  the  apostles,  but  for  the  whole  multitude. 
Jesus  told  them  that  they  must  not  get  angry, 
but  must  be  kind  to  people,  even  to  those  who 
had  wronged  them ;  that  they  must  not  try 
to  "  show  off  "  their  own  goodness,  for  while 
people  who  did  that  were  often  praised  by 
men,  they  did  not  win  the  praise  of  God,  and 
no  man  could  please  two  masters  at  the  same 
time. 

Then  came  a  beautiful  part  of  the  sermon. 
As  Jesus  looked  at  one  face  and  then  at  an- 


116  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

other,  he  •  saw  that  many  were  troubled.  He 
knew  that  some  among  his  hearers  were  poor 
and  were  anxious  about  food,  and  he  was  so 
sorry  for  them  that  he  spoke  the  next  words  ex- 
pressly for  them.  The  birds  were  flying  around 
overhead,  and  Jesus  said,  "  See  the  birds  of 
the  air.  They  do  not  sow  seed  or  gather  a 
harvest  into  barns,  but  your  heavenly  Father 
feeds  them.  Are  you  not  much  better  than 
they  ? "  And  to  those  who  were  troubled 
about  getting  clothes  he  said,  "  Consider  the 
lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil 
not,  neither  do  they  spin,  and  yet  I  say  unto 
you  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."  Then  he 
added  tenderly,  "  Your  heavenly  Father  knows 
that  you  need  all  these  things,  and  if  you  seek 
first  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  will  give  them 
to  you."  The  brilliant  scarlet  lilies  were 
growing  around  him  as  he  spoke,  and  all 
through  their  lives  the  people  who  heard  him 
say  these  words  must  have  thought  of  them 
whenever  they  saw  a  lily. 

There  was  much  more  in  this  sermon.  One 
thing  for  which  it  is  always  remembered  is 
that  in  it  was  given  the  prayer  beginning, 
"  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven." 


JESUS   AND   THE   PHARISEES  117 

As  the  sermon  drew  near  to  its  end,  Jesus 
looked  over  the  great  number  of  people  who 
had  been  Hstening  to  him.  He  knew  that 
some  of  these  people  would  follow  his  teach- 
ings, while  others  would  go  home  and  forget 
them,  and  he  said  a  little  sadly,  "  Not  every 
one  that  calls  me  '  Lord  '  shall  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  but  he  that  obeys  my  Father." 
To  be  sure  that  they  understood,  he  told  them 
a  story  about  two  men,  each  of  whom  built  him- 
self a  house.  One  founded  his  upon  a  rock, 
and  although  the  rain  fell  and  the  flood  came 
and  the  wind  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house, 
it  stood  firm,  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock. 
The  other  man  built  his  house  upon  the  sand, 
and  when  the  storm  came,  it  was  washed  away. 
"  Every  one,"  said  Jesus,  "  who  hears  my 
words  and  obeys  them  is  like  the  man  who 
built  his  house  upon  a  rock ;  but  whoever  hears 
my  words  and  does  not  obey  them  is  like  the 
man  who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand." 
Then  he  sent  the  people  away,  and  they  went 
home,  saying  to  one  another,  "  He  does  not 
teach  like  the  scribes,  as  if  he  was  only  telling 
what  he  had  been  taught,  but  rather  as  if  he 
had  a  right  to  say  what  we  ought  to  do." 

Jesus  went  back  to  Capernaum,  but  he  had 


118  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

little  opportunity  to  rest,  for  it  was  not  long* 
before  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  town 
came  to  him  to  beg  him  to  heal  a  man  who 
was  sick  of  the  palsy.  This  man  was  the  slave 
of  a  centurion,  or  officer  of  King  Antipas,  who 
commanded  one  hundred  soldiers.  "  The  cen- 
turion deserves  to  be  helped,"  said  the  men, 
"  for  he  is  a  friend  to  our  nation.  He  is  the 
one  that  built  us  the  synagogue."  Jesus 
went  with  them  toward  the  home  of  the  cen- 
turion. Now  the  servants  of  the  house  had 
been  watching,  and  when  they  saw  Jesus  on 
the  way,  they  cried,  "  Master,  the  rabbi  is 
coming.  Now  the  man  will  get  well."  Then 
the  centurion  sent  some  of  his  friends  to  say, 
"I  am  not  worthy  to  be  honored  by  your 
coming  under  my  roof.  Only  say  the  word 
and  my  servant  will  be  cured;  for  I,  too,  am 
a  man  to  whom  authority  has  been  given,  and 
just  as  I  give  orders  to  my  servants  and  they 
obey  me,  so  if  you  speak  the  word,  sickness 
will  obey  you."  The  face  of  Jesus  glowed 
with  joy  to  see  such  faith  in  his  power  ;  and 
then,  as  he  thought  of  his  own  people,  to  whom 
especially  he  had  been  sent,  he  was  sad,  and 
he  said,  "  I  have  not  found  such  faith  in 
Israel." 


JESUS  AND  THE   PHARISEES  119 

The  next  morning,  while  the  centurion  was 
rejoicing,  Jesus  and  his  disciples  set  out  for 
the  village  of  Nain.  The  name  means  "the 
beautiful,"  but  no  one  was  thinking  of  its 
beauty  that  morning,  for  the  whole  village 
was  sorrowful.  As  Jesus  drew  near,  the  sounds 
of  wailing  were  heard,  and  when  he  came  to 
the  gate,  he  met  a  funeral  procession  so  long 
that  it  seemed  to  be  made  up  of  all  the  people 
in  the  village.  Nearest  the  bier  an  elderly 
woman  tottered,  broken  down  with  her  grief, 
for  he  who  had  died  was  her  only  son,  and 
she  was  a  widow.  It  was  the  custom  for  every 
one  who  met  a  funeral  procession  to  join  it 
and  walk  along  with  the  mourners,  as  a  mark 
of  sympathy  ;  but  instead  of  doing  this,  Jesus 
went  to  the  sorrowing  mother  and  said,  "  Do 
not  weep."  She  looked  at  him  with  surprise. 
Could  she  help  weeping?  she  thought.  Jesus 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  bier,  and  the  bearers 
stood  still,  out  of  sheer  surprise  that  a  rabbi 
should  make  himself  "  unclean  "  by  touching 
the  dead.  They  did  not  guess  that  a  greater 
deed  than  they  had  ever  seen  was  to  be  per- 
formed before  their  eyes.  Jesus  said,  "  Young 
man,  arise."  The  young  man  arose  and  spoke 
and  went  to  his  mother.     She  threw  her  arms 


120  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

about  his  neck,  and  now  she  wept  because  she 
was  so  happy.  The  people  of  the  village  re- 
joiced with  her  and  shouted  for  joy.  "  God 
has  visited  his  jDCople!"  they  cried.  "A  great 
prophet  has  come  among  us  !  " 

While  the  villagers  and  thousands  of  others 
were  happy  in  seeing  the  deeds  and  hearing 
the  words  of  Jesus,  the  man  who  had  pre- 
pared the  way  for  him  was  shut  up  in  a  dun- 
geon of  the  "  black  castle  "  of  King  Antipas. 
John  the  baptizer  had  been  a  prisoner  for 
many  months.  The  king's  wife  hated  him, 
and  therefore  the  king  did  not  set  him  free, 
but  he  allowed  his  disciples  to  visit  him.  Even 
John  believed  that  when  Christ  came  he  would 
free  his  people  and  conquer  the  world,  but 
Jesus  had  taken  no  step  to  raise  an  army  and 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  nation.  It  is 
no  wonder  that  after  many  months  in  the 
king's  dungeon  John  should  have  begun  to 
fear  lest  after  all  Jesus  might  be  like  some 
of  the  others  who  had  come  before  him  and 
claimed  to  be  the  Christ.  Still  John  did  not 
really  give  up  his  faith  in  Jesus,  for  he  sent, 
not  to  those  around  the  rabbi,  but  to  Jesus 
himself,  and  asked,  "Are  you  the  Christ?" 
At  first  Jesus  made  no  answer ;  he  only  went 


JESUS   RAISING  THE    WIDOW   OF   NAIN'S   SON 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHWL, 

ixos  Hi^osiiHs,  sab. 


JESUS  AND  THE  PHARISEES  121 

on  curing  the  sick  and  giving  sight  to  the 
blind. 

When  the  two  disciples  of  John  who  had 
brought  their  master's  message  had  seen  what 
Jesus  could  do,  he  said  to  them,  "  Tell  John 
what  you  have  seen  and  heard.  Tell  him  that 
the  blind  receive  their  sight  and  the  lame  walk. 
Tell  him  that  the  lejDers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf 
hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  and  the  good  tidings 
are  preached  to  the  poor."  Jesus  knew  that 
John  would  remember  that  these  things  were 
what  the  prophets  had  said  long  before  should 
be  the  proof  of  the  Messiah's  coming.  Then 
he  sent  him  a  comforting  message,  telling  him 
not  to  doubt,  for  great  happiness  was  waiting 
for  him  who  held  fast  to  his  faith  even  in 
trouble. 

Jesus  was  so  sorry  for  John,  and  loved  him 
so  much,  that  he  burst  forth  into  eager  praise, 
and  cried  to  those  around  him,  "  You  your- 
selves went  out  into  the  wilderness,  and  you 
found  there  no  reed  shaken  by  the  wind,  no 
courtier  wearing  soft  raiment  and  partaking  of 
dainty  food.  You  went  out  expecting  to  see 
a  prophet,  but  you  found  more  than  a  prophet; 
you  found  him  who  was  sent  to  prepare  the 
way  of  the  Christ.     You  found  the  greatest 


122  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

man  that  was  ever  born  on  this  earth,  for  he 
was  the  forerunner  of  the  kingdom  of  God ; 
and  yet,"  he  added,  "  it  is  even  greater  to 
believe  in  me  and  follow  me  than  to  have  the 
honor  of  heralding  my  coming." 

Many  of  those  hearing  him  had  been  bap- 
tized by  John,  but  Pharisees  and  scribes  were 
present  who  had  refused  John's  baptism,  and 
yet  would  not  accept  Christ's  teachings.  As 
Jesus  gazed  upon  them,  he  said  sternly,  "  You 
are  like  children  sitting  off  by  themselves  in 
the  market  place,  though  the  other  children 
say,  '  We  have  played  at  marriages  with  the 
music  of  the  flute,  and  you  would  not  dance ; 
we  have  played  at  funerals  and  wailed,  and 
you  would  not  lament.'  John  fasted  and  fol- 
lowed the  customs  of  the  rabbis,  and  you  said 
he  was  a  strange  man,  he  must  be  possessed  of 
a  devil.  I  mingle  with  other  men,  I  eat  and 
drink  with  them,  and  you  say  I  am  a  glutton 
and  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners.  John's 
followers  were  wise,  and  my  followers  are  wise, 
but  you  are  foolish." 

The  Pharisees  blamed  Jesus  for  eating  with 
pubHcans  and  sinners,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  eat  at  the 
house  of  a  Pharisee.     This  man's  name  was 


JESUS  AND   THE   PHARISEES  123 

Simon.  He  did  not  invite  the  teacher  because 
he  loved  him,  but  either  out  of  curiosity  or 
else  to  please  some  of  the  followers  of  the  new 
rabbi ;  and  after  Jesus  had  come,  he  took  no 
pains  to  make  him  welcome.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom for  the  host  to  greet  his  guests  with  a 
kiss,  and  to  send  a  servant  to  them  at  once  to 
wash  the  dust  of  the  road  from  their  feet  and 
to  pour  sweet-smelling  oil  upon  their  hair  and 
beard.  Simon  did  none  of  these  things.  Jesus 
noticed  the  rudeness,  but  he  said  nothing,  and 
took  his  place  upon  the  cushioned  bench  on 
which  it  was  the  custom  to  recline  at  table. 

In  Palestine  when  there  was  a  feast,  men 
who  had  not  been  invited  went  in  and  out, 
looking  on  and  joining  in  the  conversation 
of  the  guests.  Among  those  who  came  into 
Simon's  house  at  the  hour  of  the  meal  was  a 
woman  who  had  heard  Jesus  preach.  She  had 
not  been  a  good  woman,  but  his  Avords  had 
made  her  sorry  for  her  sins  and  had  encour- 
aged her  to  begin  again  and  try  to  do  better. 
She  longed  to  see  him,  to  hear  him  speak,  and 
when  she  heard  that  he  was  at  Simon's  house, 
she  slipped  in  with  the  others,  though  it  was 
not  the  custom  for  women  to  appear  on  such 
occasions.     The  most  valuable  thing  that  she 


124  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

owned  was  a  flask  made  of  pure  white  ala- 
baster and  filled  with  a  precious  ointment. 
She  brought  this  with  her,  perhaps  hoping 
that  she  could  give  it  to  him.  When  she 
came  near  Him  reclining  at  the  table,  she  saw 
that  his  host  had  given  him  no  water  for  his 
feet.  She  was  so  indignant  at  the  slight  that 
had  been  shown  him  that  she  began  to  weep. 
Her  tears  fell  upon  his  feet,  and  she  wiped 
them  with  her  long  hair  and  kissed  them,  and 
broke  the  seal  of  the  flask  that  she  might 
pour  the  fragrant  ointment  over  them.  Simon 
saw  this,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  If  this 
rabbi  had  really  come  from  God,  he  would 
know  that  she  was  a  wicked  woman  and  would 
not  let  her  touch  him." 

Jesus  saw  by  Simon's  look  what  he  thought, 
and  he  said,  "  Simon,  I  have  a  question  for  you. 
A  certain  man  had  two  debtors.  One  owed 
him  five  hundred  pence  and  the  other  fifty. 
Neither  had  any  money,  and  he  forgave  them 
both  their  debt.  Which  of  them,  do  you  think, 
would  care  most  for  him?  "  Simon  answered 
at  once,  "  The  one  to  whom  he  forgave  most." 
"  You  have  judged  rightly,"  said  Jesus;  "but, 
Simon,  look  upon  this  woman.  I  came  to  your 
house  as  a  guest,  and  you  did  not  give  me  the 


JESUS  AND   THE  PHARISEES  125 

kiss  of  welcome.  You  gave  me  neither  water 
for  my  feet  nor  oil  for  my  head.  She  has 
washed  my  feet  with  her  tears  and  anointed 
them  with  ointment.  Her  sins  are  indeed 
many,  but  they  are  forgiven,  for  she  has  loved 
much ;  but  he  to  whom  little  is  forgiven  loves 
little."  Then  he  said  to  the  woman,  "  Your 
sins  are  forgiven.  Go  in  peace.  Your  faith 
has  saved  you."  She  went  away  happy  and 
grateful,  but  the  Pharisees  sitting  at  the  table 
whispered  among  themselves,  "  Who  is  this 
that  claims  even  to  forgive  sins  ?  " 

No  matter  how  closely  the  Pharisees  watched 
him,  they  could  not  prove  that  he  was  in  the 
wrong,  for  he  always  had  an  answer  to  which 
they  could  make  no  reply.  They  could  only 
go  away  sullenly  and  try  to  plan  some  other 
way  to  show  that  he  was  wicked.  For  in- 
stance, he  cured  a  man  who  was  blind  and 
deaf,  or  as  the  people  then  said,  he  was  pos- 
sessed by  a  blind  and  dumb  devil.  The  mul- 
titude that  saw  the  cure  were  amazed,  but  the 
Pharisees  went  about  among  them  saying, 
"  Oh  yes,  he  casts  out  devils,  but  it  is  because 
Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  the  devils,  helps  him." 

Jesus  heard  these  malicious  whispers  and 
said,  "If  a  kingdom  is  not  united,  it  falls; 


126  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

and  if  Beelzebub  helps  me  to  cast  out  the 
devils  whom  he  has  sent,  how  can  his  kingdom 
stand  ?  I  am  working  together  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God.  What  you  say  against  me  as 
a  man  may  be  forgiven,  but  you  are  speak- 
ing against  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  that  will 
not  be  forgiven.  You  cannot  speak  the  truth, 
for  you  yourselves  are  wicked,  and  a  man  is 
known  by  his  words  just  as  a  tree  is  known 
by  its  fruit."  Then  Jesus  thought  of  the 
whole  world  which  was  to  be  his  kingdom, 
and  he  said,  "  He  that  is  not  Avith  me  is 
against  me,  and  he  that  does  not  help  me  to 
gather  in  the  harvest  is  scattering  it." 

At  this  some  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
interrupted  him  and  said,  "  Show  us  a  great 
miracle,  and  we  wijl  believe  you."  Jesus 
knew  that  they  were  determined  not  to  be- 
lieve in  him,  and  that  although  a  great  mira- 
cle would  interest  them  for  the  moment,  they 
would  only  try  all  the  harder  to  show  that  it 
was  not  from  God,  and  so  would  become  worse 
than  they  were  before.  Therefore  he  said,  "If 
an  evil  spirit,  driven  out  of  a  man,  finds  that 
no  good  spirit  has  taken  his  place,  he  goes 
back  with  seven  others  more  evil  than  himself, 
and  the  man  is  worse  off  than  he  was  at  first. 


JESUS   AND   THE   PHARISEES  127 

You  have  seen  miracles,  and  you  have  heard 
the  truth  preached.  The  Queen  4)f  Sheba 
came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  Hsten  to 
the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  but  a  greater  than 
Solomon  is  here.  The  men  of  Nineveh  re- 
pented when  they  heard  the  preaching  of 
Jonah,  but  a  greater  than  Jonah  is  here.  As 
Jonah  spent  three  days  in  the  body  of  the 
great  fish,  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  spend  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth. 
This  is  the  only  miracle  that  shall  be  given 

you. 

The  Pharisees  heard  these  words  with  bitter 
anger.  They  might  perhaps  have  tried  to 
make  some  reply,  but  while  he  was  speaking, 
one  of  his  disciples  said,  "  Rabbi,  your  mother 
and  your  brethren  are  waiting  to  see  you." 
Deep  love  for  his  own  people,  his  own  family, 
filled  his  heart  at  the  words.  He  paused  a 
moment.  The  loving,  trusting  faces  of  his 
dis.ciples  were  before  him.  "  They,  too,  are 
my  own  people,"  he  said,  "these  who  hear  the 
word  of  my  Father  and  obey  it.  They  are  as 
dear  to  me  as  my  mother  and  my  brethren." 


IX 

THE    PARABLES 

The  Pharisees  and  rabbis  had  tried  in  every 
way  that  they  knew  to  prove  that  Jesus  was 
a  wicked  man  and  not  a  teacher  sent  from 
God.  When  he  forgave  sin,  they  had  said  he 
blasphemed,  for  only  God  could  forgive  sin. 
That  charge  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  for 
people  believed  that  sickness  was  caused  by 
wickedness,  and  could  not  be  cured  unless  the 
wrongdoing  was  forgiven  ;  and  they  could  not 
deny  that  Jesus  had  healed  the  sick.  They  had 
declared  that  no  true  teacher  would  eat  and 
drink  with  publicans  and  sinners,  but  Jesus 
had  replied  that  if  these  people  were  so  sinful, 
they  were  the  very  ones  who  most  needed 
knowledge  of  him  and  his  truth,  that  they 
might  repent.  They  had  accused  him  of  break- 
ing; the  Sabbath.  "  Were  not  the  Jews  chosen 
by  God  expressly  to  keep  the  Sabbath  ?  "  they 
had  demanded.    "The  Sabbath  was  made  for 


132  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath,"  Jesus  had 
answered,  "  and  therefore  it  is  right  to  do  good 
on  the  Sabbath."  All  this  teaching  was  con- 
trary to  the  belief  of  the  Pharisees  ;  but  what 
amazed  and  angered  them  most  was  that  he 
told  them  with  the  greatest  boldness  that  they 
were  false  and  vain  and  hypocritical,  that  they 
cared  nothing  for  being  good  and  pure,  but 
only  for  pretending  to  be  good  and  so  gain- 
ing the  praise  of  men.  These  charges  were  all 
so  true  that  the  Pharisees  were  enraged,  and 
from  the  time  of  the  feast  at  Simon's  house, 
they  pursued  Jesus  more  bitterly  than  ever. 

He  had  now  been  before  the  people  for 
more  than  a  year.  He  had  taught  in  many 
parts  of  Galilee,  and  he  had  cured  thousands 
of  sufferers.  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  hated 
him,  but  multitudes  had  become  convinced 
that  he  was  a  teacher  sent  from  God,  and 
they  were  6ager  to  listen  to  his  words. 

Jesus  put  much  of  his  teaching  in  the  form 
of  parables.  These  were  short  stories  about 
things  with  which  the  listeners  were  familiar, 
but  when  the  people  who  heard  them  came  to 
think  them  over,  they  found  that  each  story 
told  them  something  about  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  and  how  to  enter  it. 


THE  PARABLES  133 

It  was  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  that  he  told  the 
first  of  these  stories.  He  sat  in  a  boat  a  httle 
way  from  the  land,  and  the  people  crowded  to 
the  very  edge  of  the  water  to  hear  what  he 
said.  "  There  was  once  a  man  who  went  out 
to  sow  his  seed,"  he  began.  "  Some  seeds  fell 
by  the  wayside,  and  were  eaten  by  the  birds. 
Some  fell  where  there  was  only  a  little  soil, 
and  although  they  sprang  up  quickly,  they 
had  no  deep  roots,  and  so  the  hot  sun  soon 
withered  them.  Some  fell  among  thorns,  and 
the  thorns  sprang  up  and  choked  them.  But 
the  other  seeds  fell  upon  good  ground  and 
yielded  fruit.  For  one  seed  sometimes  thirty 
were  produced,  sometimes  sixty,  and  some- 
times one  hundred." 

Every  one  liked  to  hear  the  parables,  but 
many  went  away  without  caring  to  know  what 
they  meant.  It  was  not  so  with  the  disciples. 
At  the  end  of  the  parable  of  the "  sower,  the 
apostles  and  the  others  who  really  wished  to 
learn  of  Jesus  gathered  around  him  and  asked 
the  meaning.  He  said,  "  The  seed  is  the  word 
of  God.  Some  seed  fell  by  the  wayside  and 
was  soon  carried  away ;  so  some  men  hear  the 
word  and  soon  forget  it.  Some  seed  fell 
where  there  was  but  httle  soil,  and  although 


134  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

it  came  up  at  once,  it  soon  withered  ;  so  some 
men  seem  to  believe  the  truth  as  soon  as  they 
hear  it,  but  if  they  are  persecuted  for  believing 
it,  they  give  it  up.  Just  as  thorns  sometimes 
choke  good  seed  that  is  sown  among  them,  so 
the  interest  that  men  have  in  the  pleasures 
and  cares  of  this  world  sometimes  makes  them 
forget  the  truth.  But  the  seed  sown  on  good 
ground  is  like  the  truth  in  the  heart  of  a  man 
who  listens  to  it  and  acts  according  to  it." 

There  were  many  other  parables  that  Jesus 
spoke  to  the  multitude,  but  only  a  few  have 
been  saved.  One  was  about  a  man  who  went 
into  his  field  and  sowed  wheat.  That  night, 
while  he  was  sleeping,  an  enemy  of  his  slipped 
out  into  the  darkness  and  sowed  the  seeds 
of  a  troublesome  weed,  so  that  it  and  grain 
grew  up  together.  The  servants  went  to  the 
owner  and  said,  "Your  field  is  full  of  weeds." 
"  An  enemy  has  done  this,"  he  replied.  "  Shall 
we  pull  up  the  weeds?"  asked  the  servants. 
Now  the  roots  of  this  weed  and  of  the  grain 
are  often  intertwined,  so  the  master  answered, 
"  No,  for  you  might  root  up  the  wheat  with 
the  weed.  Wait  till  the  harvest,  and  the 
reapers  shall  gather  up  the  weeds  to  be  burned, 
and  shall  store  the  wheat  in  my  barn." 


THE   PARABLES  135 


All  tlie  parables  of  Jesus  were  about  sim- 
ple, every-day  actions  with  which  the  disciples 
were  familiar.  They  understood  some  of  them 
without  help,  but  they  did  not  know  the  mean- 
ing of  the  one  about  sowing  grain  and  weeds 
in  the  same  field,  so  they  asked  Jesus  to  ex- 
plain it.  He  told  them  this  was  what  it  meant : 
The  field  is  the  world.  The  sower  of  good 
seed  is  the  Son  of  Man,  and  the  sower  of 
weeds  is  the  devil.  The  seeds  of  grain  are 
the  sfood,  and  the  seeds  of  weeds  are  the 
wicked.  The  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world, 
and  the  reapers  are  the  angels. 

Two  of  the  parables  were  about  the  sea. 
One  said  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was  like  a 
merchant  who  was  looking  for  pearls.  At  last 
he  saw  one  so  valuable  that  he  hastened  to 
sell  all  that  he  had  to  buy  it.  Another  said 
that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was  like  a  net 
that  was  cast  into  the  sea ;  and  as  Jesus  told 
the  story,  it  is  probable  that  the  listeners  could 
see  fishermen  farther  down  the  shore  getting 
ready  to  put  out  their  nets.  When  the  fisher- 
men in  the  parable  drew  their  net  in  to  land, 
they  sat  down  beside  it  and  gathered  together 
the  good  fish,  but  cast  away  the  bad.  So  shall 
it  be,  Jesus  told  them,  at  the  end  of  the  world, 


136  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

for  then  the  angels  shall  separate  the  wicked 
from  the  good.  When  the  parables  were 
ended,  he  asked  his  disciples,  "  Have  you  un- 
derstood all  these  things  ?"  and  they  answered, 
"  Yes." 

These  stories  were  told  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  When  sunset  had  come, 
Jesus  said  to  his  followers,  "  Let  us  go  over 
to  the  other  side  of  the  sea."  Crowds  were  still 
waiting  on  the  shore  to  hear  him  speak,  but  he 
was  so  weary  that  he  could  not  talk  to  them, 
so  exhausted  that  he  fell  asleep  in  the  stern 
of  the  boat,  and  did  not  awake  even  when 
the  water  grew  rough  and  the  boat  plunged 
heavily  from  the  crest  of  the  wave  to  the 
trough. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee  is  a  peaceful  little  lake 
only  thirteen  miles  long,  but  when  the  fierce 
northeast  wind  falls  upon  it,  violent  storms 
arise  that  almost  in  a  moment  lash  the  waves 
to  a  mad  fury.  Such  a  tempest  had  burst 
forth,  and  the  water,  which  had  been  so  calm 
and  quiet  when  they  left  the  shore,  was  now 
in  the  wildest  commotion.  The  wind  roared, 
rain  fell  in  torrents,  the  waves  dashed  madly 
over  the  little  boat ;  they  seemed  to  clutch  it 
as  if  they  Avould  drag  it  down  to  the  bottom 


THE  PARABLES  137 

of  the  sea.  Still  Jesus  slept  as  peacefully  as 
if  he  were  again  a  child  iu  the  house  of  Joseph 
at  Nazareth.  Several  of  his  disciples  were 
hardy  fishermen  who  had  spent  their  lives  on 
this  sea,  and  knew  it  in  storm  and  in  calm, 
but  such  a  storm  as  this  was  unlike  anything 
that  they  had  ever  seen. 

They  understood  well  how  to  manage  their 
boat,  but  in  spite  of  all  they  could  do,  it  began 
to  sink.  "  Awake  the  Master,"  they  said,  "  for 
we  are  lost !  "  Then  one  cried,  "  Master,  we 
are  perishing  !  Awake,  awake  !  "  and  another 
called,  "  Master,  save  us,  save  us  ! "  Jesus 
arose  and  stood  for  a  moment  gazing  into  the 
darkness.  He  looked  so  calm  and  so  majestic 
that  the  disciples  forgot  their  terror.  The 
waves  still  beat  into  the  boat,  and  the  storm 
raged  just  as  violently,  but  after  a  moment 
Jesus  turned  toward  the  men  and  asked,  "  Why 
are  you  fearful?  Have  you  no  faith  in  me 
yet?"  Then  he  spoke  to  the  stormwind  as 
if  it  were  a  living  creature,  and  bade  it  be 
quiet.  "  Peace,"  he  said  to  the  sea,  "  peace, 
be  still."  The  wind  ceased,  and  the  raging 
of  the  water  was  subdued.  The  clouds  rolled 
away,  and  the  stars  shone  out.  Then  the  dis- 
ciples were  almost  as  much  afraid  of  Jesus  as 


138  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

they  had  been  of  the  storm.  "  Who  is  he  ?  " 
they  whispered  to  one  another.  "  What  kind 
of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the 
sea  obey  him  ?  " 

They  were  in  the  boat  all  night,  and  early 
in  the  morning  they  came  to  the  farther  side 
of  the  lake,  near  the  town  called  Gadara. 
They  moored  the  boat  and  started  to  walk  up 
the  long  hill  into  the  city,  but  before  they  had 
gone  far  from  the  shore  two  fearful  objects 
rushed  out  of  tombs  that  had  been  cut  into  the 
soft  rock.  They  were  men,  but  naked  and 
wild  and  savage.  One  of  them  ran  toward 
the  Httle  company,  the  broken  chains  which 
hung  from  his  ankles  dragging  on  the  ground 
and  clanking  against  the  stones  in  his  way. 
In  his  madness  he  had  torn  his  flesh  with 
sharp  stones  into  great  ragged  wounds,  and 
from  these  wounds  blood  was  dropping  as  he 
ran.  "  He  is  possessed  with  a  devil,"  whispered 
the  disciples.  "  He  is  so  fierce  that  no  man 
in  Gadara  dares  to  pass  by  this  way.  See 
the  chains  and  fetters  that  he  has  broken ! " 
Even  the  disciples  might  well  have  been  afraid, 
but  as  soon  as  the  man  saw  Jesus,  he  fell  down 
before  him.  "  You  unclean  spirit,  come  out 
of  him  !  "  commanded  the  Master.     "  What 


THE  PARABLES  139 

have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus,  Son  of  the  Most 
High  God  ?  "  cried  the  unclean  spirit.  "  I  be- 
seech thee,  do  not  torment  me."  Jesus  asked 
the  spirit,  "  What  is  your  name  ? "  and  the 
spirit  answered,  "Legion,  for  there  are  many 
of  us.  Do  not  send  us  to  the  place  of  tor- 
ment. Give  us  leave  to  enter  into  that  herd 
of  swine  on  the  mountain."  "  Go  ! "  said  Jesus. 
So  the  evil  spirits  entered  into  the  swine,  and 
the  whole  herd  of  two  thousand  rushed  down 
the  hill  into  the  sea  and  perished. 

The  men  who  fed  the  swine  hastened  back  to 
the  city  to  tell  what  had  happened,  and  crowds 
of  curious  people  came  out  to  see  the  man 
who  had  done  such  a  wonder.  They  found 
him  sitting  quietly  on  a  rock,  and  at  his  feet 
was  the  terrible  madman  whom  they  had  all 
feared.  One  of  the  disciples  had  given  him 
a  tunic,  another  a  cloak.  He  was  clothed  and 
in  his  right  mind.  Jesus  was  talking  with  him 
in  a  low,  gentle  voice,  and  he  was  Hstening  so 
earnestly  that  he  did  not  heed  the  trampling 
of  many  feet  coming  up  behind  him. 

One  would  have  expected  the  men  of  Gad- 
ara  to  be  grateful  and  delighted  that  the 
madman  was  cured,  but  instead  of  that  they 
were  angry  and  afraid.     Many  of  the  Gada- 


140  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

renes  were  Jews,  but  they  followed  the  cus- 
toms of  the  heathen  around  them  and  did  not 
obey  the  laws  of  Moses.  One  of  these  laws 
was  that  no  Jew  should  own  swine,  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  this  herd  of  swine  belonged 
to  some  of  these  law-breaking  Israelites.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  the  Gadarenes  begged  Jesus 
to  leave  their  land,  and  he  did  so.  The  man 
who  had  been  cured  followed  the  Healer  down 
to  the  water,  and  even  until  Jesus  had  stepped 
into  the  boat  he  pleaded,  "  Lord,  Lord,  let  me 
go  with  you.  Let  me  follow  you  about  and 
learn  of  you."  "  But  I  need  you  here  in  your 
own  city,"  said  Jesus.  "  Go  to  your  friends 
in  your  old  home  and  tell  them  what  mercy 
God  has  shown  you."  The  man  was  happy 
in  the  thought  of  serving  the  One  who  had 
healed  him,  and  he  went  through  the  whole 
city  telling  what  great  things  Jesus  had  done 
for  him. 

The  Gadarenes  had  sent  away  the  Christ 
who  would  gladly  have  taught  them.  He 
returned  to  Capernaum,  and  long  before  the 
little  boat  could  come  to  land,  word  had  gone 
about  that  he  was  on  his  way.  Crowds  had 
gathered  and  were  pressing  to  the  water's 
edge  to  welcome  him.     He  began  to  talk  to 


THE   PARABLES  141 

them,  but  while  he  was  speaking,  the  ruler 
of  the  synagogue  came  running  swiftly.  His 
name  was  Jairus.  He  was  a  great  man  among 
the  people,  and  they  made  way  for  him  to 
come  to  the  preacher.  He  threw  himself 
upon  the  ground  at  Jesus'  feet  and  begged 
him  to  come.  "  It  is  my  own  little  daugh- 
ter," he  pleaded.  "  She  is  at  the  point  of 
death.  Come  with  me  and  lay  your  hands 
upon  her  and  save  her." 

Jesus  went  with  him,  and  all  the  people  fol- 
lowed. They  thronged  about  him  and  pressed 
upon  him.  Suddenly  he  turned  and  asked, 
"  Who  was  it  that  touched  my  garments  ?  " 
Peter  said,  "  Master,  in  such  a  crowd  as  this 
do  you  ask  who  touched  you?"  "Some  one 
has  touched  me,"  replied  Jesus,  "for  power 
has  gone  forth  from  me."  Then  a  woman 
threw  herself  down  upon  the  ground  before 
him  and  said,  "Lord,  I  have  suffered  much 
for  twelve  years.  I  have  spent  all  that  I  had 
on  physicians,  and  they  have  made  me  worse 
rather  than  better.  I  heard  of  you,  and  I 
thought  if  I  could  only  touch  but  the  fringe 
of  your  mantle  I  should  be  cured.  Forgive 
me,  forgive  me  !  But,  0  Lord,  the  sickness 
has  gone  from  me !  "    Jesus  said,  "Daughter, 


142  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

go  in  peace.     You  have  believed  in  me,  and 
your  faith  has  saved  you." 

Jesus  and  the  ruler  and  the  crowd  went 
on  toward  the  house  of  Jairus.  Before  they 
had  reached  it,  messengers  came  to  the  ruler 
saying,  "  Your  little  daughter  is  dead.  The 
rabbi  can  do  nothing  now.  Do  not  trouble 
him  any  further."  Jairus  did  not  say  a  word, 
but  he  looked  appealingly  into  the  eyes  of  the 
Master,  and  Jesus  said,  "  Fear  not,  only  be- 
lieve.'' Then  he  sent  away  the  crowd  and  let 
no  one  but  Peter  and  James  and  John  go  with 
him. 

Soon  they  heard  the  dirges  of  the  flute- 
players  and  the  monotonous  wailing  of  the 
hired  mourners,  for  the  rabbis  required  them 
to  be  hired  to  make  lamentation  when  a  death 
occurred.  Jairus  was  a  rich  man,  and  he  had 
hired  a  large  number.  "  Why  do  you  weep 
and  make  such  a  tumult  ? "  Jesus  asked. 
"  The  little  girl  is  not  dead,  she  is  only  sleep- 
ing." Then  the  crowds  laughed  as  easily  as 
they  had  wailed.  "  Don't  we  know  that  she 
is  dead  ?  "  some  of  them  cried.  "  Is  she  not 
made  ready  for  the  grave  ?  "  "Go  from  the 
house !  "  bade  Jesus,  and  he  made  them  all 
depart.     The    mother  was   weeping   silently. 


JAIRUS'  DAUGHTER 


THE   PARABLES  143 

"  Come,"  said  he,  and  he  and  the  mother  and 
Jairus  and  Peter  and  James  and  John  went 
into  the  room  where  the  little  twelve-year-old 
girl  lay  ready  for  burial.  He  took  her  by  the 
hand  and  said,  "  Maiden,  I  say  unto  thee, 
arise  !  "  and  she  arose.  Her  father  and  mo- 
ther could  hardly  believe  that  it  was  really 
their  own  child  come  back  to  them  from  the 
dead,  and  they  almost  feared  to  touch  her,  as 
if  she  had  been  an  angel  sent  to  them  in 
place  of  their  little  girl.  Jesus  watched  them 
for  a  moment  and  then  said,  "  Give  her  some- 
thing to  eat."  So  the  child  ate  and  was  with 
them  again,  no  angel  and  no  spirit,  but  their 
own  little  daughter. 

Jesus  bade  farewell  to  the  joyful  family 
and  went  away  to  rest.  In  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours  he  had  taught  great  crowds  by  the 
seashore,  he  had  stilled  the  tempest,  had  cured 
the  man  possessed  with  an  evil  spirit  and  the 
poor  woman  who  had  touched  him  in  the 
crowd  ;  he  had  also  aroused  the  Httle  maiden 
from  the  sleep  of  death.  He  might  well  seek 
rest,  and  he  hoped  to  find  it  in  the  house  of 
Peter,  but  before  he  had  fairly  left  the  home 
of  Jairus,  he  heard  the  loud  cries  of  two  Wind 
men,  "  Son  of    David,  have   mercy  on  us !  " 


144  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

All  the  way  to  Peter's  home  they  followed 
him,  and  even  felt  their  way  into  the  house. 
"Have  mercy  on  us!"  they  besought.  "You 
are  the  Messiah,  the  Coming  One,  heal  us !  " 
"  Do  you  believe  that  I  can  do  this  ?  "  asked 
Jesus.  "  Yes,  Lord,  yes,"  they  answered 
eagerly.  Then  he  touched  the  eyes  of  each 
of  them  and  said,  "  According  to  your  faith  it 
shall  be  to  you,"  and  their  eyes  were  opened. 
"  See  that  no  man  knows  this,"  he  bade,  but 
the  blind  men  were  so  happy  that  they  could 
not  keep  the  secret,  and  all  about  the  city 
people  talked  of  the  wonderful  cure  that  had 
been  wroug^ht.  One  other  he  healed  on  that 
day,  a  dumb  man  ;  and  when  the  man  opened 
his  mouth  and  spoke,  the  people  cried, "  There 
was  never  anything  like  that  seen  in  Israel." 
But  the  Pharisees  muttered  their  same  old  cry, 
"  He  can  drive  out  devils  because  the  prince 
of  the  devils  helps  him." 


^el>clii>^  ifbrtKtl^eDe^ciple^ 


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V.  .y 


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X 

SENDING    FORTH   THE    DISCIPLES 

Even  in  that  one  day  the  disciples  had  learned 
much  of  Jesus'  way  of  teaching  :  they  had 
seen  how  he  met  danger ;  they  had  watched 
him  drive  out  an  evil  spirit',  cure  the  blind 
and  the  dumb,  and  give  life  to  a  Httle  girl 
who  was  dead.  But  they  had  been  with  him 
for  months.  They  had  seen  how  he  treated 
all  kinds  of  people,  —  those  who  were  ready  to 
believe  in  him  and  those  who  were  determined 
not  to  believe,  those  who  were  curious  to  see 
what  miracles  he  would  do,  those  who  scoffed 
at  him,  and  those  who  hated  him  because  he 
knew  how  wicked  they  were.  They  had 
asked  him  questions  whenever  they  chose,  and 
he  had  never  been  tired  of  answering. 

Now  he  called  the  twelve  together  and  told 
them  that  he  wished  to  send  them  out,  two  by 
two,  over  the  country,  so  that  more  people 
might  hear  that  the  kingdom  of  God  had  come. 


148  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

Most  of  the  nations  round  about  believed  in 
many  gods  ;  therefore  he  told  the  apostles  to 
preach  only  to  Jews,  because  the  Jews  wor- 
shiped one  God  and  had  been  expecting  the 
Christ,  and  so  were  better  prepared  to  hear 
that  he  had  come. 

The  disciples  were  glad  to  help  their  Mas- 
ter tell  about  the  kingdom,  but  they  were  very 
sorry  to  go  away  from  him.  Then,  too,  they 
were  afraid  that  people  would  not  believe 
their  words,  and  how  could  they  prove  that 
God  had  sent  them  ?  While  they  were  won- 
dering, Jesus  said,  "  I  now  give  to  you  the 
power  to  cast  out  unclean  spirits  and  to  heal 
all  kinds  of  sickness."  They  had  seen  him 
work  miracles,  but  they  had  never  thought 
that  they  would  be  able  to  do  the  same  things, 
and  so  they  were  very  glad. 

Then  Jesus  had  a  long  and  earnest  talk  with 
them  about  what  they  should  say  and  do.  He 
said,  "  Do  not  take  food  or  money  or  extra 
clothes  with  you.  You  are  going  to  work  for 
the  people,  and  the  workman  deserves  his 
wages.  When  you  come  to  a  city,  search  out 
some  upright  man  and  go  to  his  house.  Say  to 
him,  *  Peace  be  unto  you,'  and  remain  with  him 
so  long  as  you  stay  in  that  place.    If  he  is  really 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         149 

worthy,  your  blessing  •will  bring  peace  to  his 
house  ;  if  not,  it  will  return  to  you."  Then 
Jesus  thought  of  the  men  of  Gadara,  and  he 
said,  "  If  any  house  or  any  city  will  not  receive 
you,  leave  it,  and  as  you  go  shake  its  very 
dust  from  off  your  feet.  In  the  day  of  judg- 
ment it  will  be  better  for  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah than  for  that  house  or  that  city." 

Jesus  knew  that  they  would  have  to  meet 
many  difficulties,  and  he  was  sorry  for  them. 
He  said,  "  I  am  sending  you  away  from  me  as 
if  I  were  sending  sheep  among  wolves.  You 
must  be  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves.  You  will  be  given  up  to  councils,  and 
you  will  be  scourged.  You  will  be  brought 
before  governors  and  kings." 

The  apostles  looked  anxious,  for  most  of 
them  were  unlearned  men,  and  they  knew  not 
how  to  speak  before  kings.  But  Jesus  said, 
"  Do  not  be  anxious  how  to  speak,  for  the 
Spirit  of  God  will  put  into  your  hearts  what 
you  are  to  say.  You  will  be  hated  because 
you  love  me  and  trust  me,  but  be  brave  and 
bear  to  the  end,  and  you  will  be  saved.  If 
one  town  drives  you  away,  go  to  another,  and 
before  you  have  gone  through  the  towns  of 
Israel  I  will  come  again.    Men  have  called  me 


150  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

Beelzebub,  and  a  disciple  cannot  expect  to  be 
treated  better  than  his  master ;  but  go  on 
boldly  and  teach  all  men  as  I  have  taught  you. 
Freely  you  have  received,  freely  give.  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  your  enemies,  for  they  can  destroy 
the  body  only ;  but  rather  fear  evil,  because 
that  can  destroy  both  body  and  soul.  You  are 
not  alone,  for  your  Father  is  watching  over 
you.  Two  sparrows  are  sold  for  a  farthing, 
but  God  never  forgets  even  a  sparrow,  and  you 
are  of  more  value  to  him  than  many  sparrows. 
You  will  have  trouble,  but  remember  that  he 
who  believes  in  me  and  is  willing  to  say  so 
before  men  will  have  a  great  reward,  for  I 
shall  tell  my  Father  that  he  is  my  friend  ; 
but  if  any  one  denies  me,  then  I  shall  tell  my 
Father  that  he  is  not  my  friend." 

Jesus  was  so  afraid  that  his  disciples  would 
be  discouraged  when  trouble  came  that  he 
warned  them  again  that  they  would  have  to 
bear  suffering.  "  My  coming,"  he  said,  "  will 
make  a  son  disagree  with  his  father  and  a 
daughter  with  her  mother ;  for  whoever  is  my 
disciple  must  love  me  better  than  he  loves 
his  father  or  his  mother.  He  who  wishes  to 
be  my  follower  must  be  willing  to  bear  hard- 
ship for  my  sake.     And  remember  that  he 


CHRIST   THE    HEALER 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         151 

who  does  wrong  in  order  to  save  his  life  will 
lose  it,  while  he  who  loses  his  life  for  my  sake 
will  find  it.  You  are  going  out  instead  of  me, 
and  whoever  is  kind  to  you  is  really  being 
kind  to  me  and  honoring  my  Father,  who  sent 
me ;  and  he  shall  be  rewarded.  Yes,  if  any 
one  gives  you  even  a  cup  of  cold  water  because 
you  love  me,  he  shall  receive  a  reward. 

So  it  was  that  those  brave  men  went  out  to 
tell  all  who  would  listen  to  them  the  thing-s 
that  Jesus  had  told  them.  They  knew  that 
they  would  be  poor  and  despised,  that  they 
would  be  imprisoned  and  beaten,  and  would 
perhaps  lose  their  lives.  Jesus  had  told  them 
that  they  would  have  trouble  as  long  as  they 
lived,  but  that  after  they  died  they  would  be 
happy  forever.  They  loved  him  and  believed 
him,  and  began  their  journeys  joyfully. 

Jesus  stood  looking  after  them  as  they  left 
him.  He  would  have  been  glad  to  bear  all 
the  suffering  for  them,  but  that  could  not  be. 
He  was  lonely  without  them,  but  he  went  from 
town  to  town  preaching  and  healing,  as  he 
had  done  when  they  were  with  him. 

A  great  sorrow  soon  came  upon  him,  the 
death  of  John  the  baptizer,  who  had  been  for 
many  months  in  the  prison  of  King  Antipas. 


152  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

When  John  was  preaching  in  the  wilderness, 
Antipas  was  interested  in  this  man  who  called 
upon  people  so  boldly  to  give  up  their  sins; 
but  when  John  said,  "  King  Antipas,  you,  too, 
are  Hving  in  sin,  for  you  have  stolen  your 
brother's  wife,  Herodias,  and  made  her  your 
queen  ;  repent  and  give  her  up,  or  punishment 
will  come  upon  you,"  then  Antipas  was  not 
pleased.  When  Queen  Herodias  heard  what 
John  had  said,  she  was  bitterly  angry,  and 
was  determined  that  he  should  die.  Antipas 
threw  him  into  prison,  but  would  not  put  him 
to  death,  in  spite  of  the  pleadings  of  Herodias. 
Then  Herodias  watched  for  an  opportunity 
to  get  the  life  of  John  by  trickery. 

When  the  king's  birthday  came,  he  gave  a 
great  supper  to  his  commanders  and  the  lead- 
ing men  of  Galilee.  There  was  drinking  and 
feasting.  Musicians  played  and  sang.  Dancers 
floated  into  the  room  gracefully  and  delighted 
all  who  looked  upon  them.  The  surprise  of  the 
evening  came  when  a  beautiful  young  girl,  the 
daughter  of  Herodias  by  her  first  marriage,  fol- 
lowed the  dancers.  For  a  princess  to  take  the 
place  of  a  paid  performer  and  dance  at  a  ban- 
quet was  a  disgrace  to  her  and  to  the  king  who 
permitted  such  a  thing,  but  the  half-drunken 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         153 

men  shouted  their  applause,  and  even  Anti- 
pas  forgot  the  shame  to  his  house  and  cried 
out  with  dehght,  "  Ask  any  reward  that  you 
choose,  and  I  will  give  it  to  you,  even  half  of 
my  kingdom." 

The  princess  went  quickly  from  the  room 
to  her  mother,  who  was  waiting  close  at  hand. 
"  What  shall  I  ask  ? "  she  said ;  and  the 
mother  whispered  eagerly,  "  Ask  for  the  head 
of  my  enemy,  John  the  baptizer.  He  is  your 
enemy,  too,  for  if  he  lives,  he  will  set  the 
king  against  us  both."  Then  the  young  girl 
hastened  back  to  Antipas,  and  bowing  before 
him  she  said,  "  0  King  Antipas,  I  have 
chosen."  "  What  is  your  choice  ?  "  asked  the 
king,  and  he  thought  of  richly  embroidered 
garments,  of  pearls,  and  of  golden  ornaments. 
"  Give  me  the  head  of  John  the  baptizer  on 
a  platter,"  answered  the  girl. 

Antipas  was  sobered  in  an  instant.  He 
looked  angrily  at  the  graceful  maiden.  "Is 
that  your  wish  ?  "  he  demanded,  and  again  the 
girl  bowed  herself  before  him.  "  I  will  not," 
muttered  Antipas.  Then  he  saw  the  guests 
gazing  at  him  curiously  to  see  what  he  would 
do,  and  whether  he  would  keep  his  promise, 
and  he  was  afraid  to  refuse.     "  Come  here  !" 


154  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

he  shouted  to  a  soldier  of  his  guard.  "  Take 
that  platter  and  bring  the  head  of  John  the 
baptizer  and  give  it  to  her !"  and  he  muttered 
a  terrible  oath.  The  soldier  went  away,  but 
he  returned  very  soon  with  the  head  of  John 
on  the  platter,  for  the  earnest  preacher  had 
been  put  to  death  in  his  prison.  He  gave  the 
platter  to  the  girl,  red  as  it  was  with  the  blood 
of  the  murdered  man,  and  she  carried  it  to  her 
mother.  So  it  was  that  a  great  man  came  to 
his  death. 

Soon  after  the  murder  of  John,  the  apostles 
came  back  to  Jesus,  eager  to  tell  him  where 
they  had  been  and  what  they  had  done.  All 
Galilee  was  talking  of  their  preaching  and  of 
the  wonderful  Man  who  wrought  such  as- 
tounding miracles.  "  Who  can  he  be  ?  "  peo- 
ple asked  one  another.  "He  must  be  Elijah," 
declared  some,  and  others  said,  "  If  he  is  not 
Elijah,  he  is  surely  a  prophet,  and  as  great  a 
one  as  those  of  the  days  of  our  fathers."  The 
reports  made  their  way  even  to  the  king's  pal- 
ace, and  then  Antipas  trembled.  "  It  is  not 
Elijah,"  he  said  to  himself  fearfully.  "  It  is 
John  the  baptizer.  He  is  risen  from  the  dead 
to  take  vengeance  upon  me." 

Jesus  longed  to  have  a  little  time  of  quiet 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         155 

with  his  disciples,  but  the  crowds  were  press- 
ing upon  them  so  eagerly  that  they  had  no 
time  even  to  eat.  "  Come  into  the  boat,"  he 
said  ;  "  we  will  go  to  the  country  and  rest." 
They  got  into  the  boat,  but  the  multitudes 
followed  to  the  water's  edge  and  watched  to 
see  where  the  boat  was  going,  and  then  they 
ran  to  that  place.  It  was  much  farther  by  land 
than  by  water,  but  they  ran  so  fast  that  when 
Jesus  came  to  the  shore,  there  was  the  same 
throng  that  he  had  left  behind  him,  —  five 
thousand  men  besides  women  and  children. 
He  pitied  them.  "  They  are  like  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd,"  he  said,  and,  tired  as  he  was, 
he  told  them  he  was  glad  they  had  come. 
Then  he  healed  the  sick  among  them  and 
taught  them. 

The  day  passed,  and  the  early  twihght  came, 
but  the  people  Hngered,  for  in  listening  to 
the  Teacher  they  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
that  they  were  hungry  and  tired.  Then  the 
disciples  said,  "  Master,  it  is  late.  Send  the 
multitudes  away  to  buy  food  for  themselves 
and  to  find  places  to  sleep  in  the  villages 
round  about."  Jesus  answered,  "  They  need 
not  go  away  ;  do  you  give  them  food."  The 
disciples  looked  at  one  another  in  surprise. 


156  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

What  could  he  mean  ?  At  last  Andrew  said, 
"  A  lad  here  has  five  barley  loaves  and  two 
small  fishes,  but  what  are  they  among  so 
many  ?  "  and  Philip  added,  "  It  would  take 
more  than  two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread 
to  give  every  one  a  piece." 

Jesus  had  waited  awhile  only  to  see  whether 
his  disciples  would  trust  him  or  would  doubt 
his  power  to  meet  the  difficulty,  and  now  he 
said, "  Bring  me  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes." 
It  was  a  strange  command,  and  the  disciples 
must  have  wondered,  but  they  obeyed.  He 
told  the  multitudes  to  sit  down  in  ranks,  fifty 
one  way  and  one  hundred  the  other.  He 
took  the  food,  and  looking  up  to  heaven,  he 
blessed  it.  Then  he  broke  the  loaves  and 
gave  them  and  the  fishes  to  his  disciples  to 
pass  among  the  people.  One  after  another 
took  all  the  bread  and  fish  that  he  wanted, 
and  still  there  was  enough  and  to  spare. 
When  the  multitude  had  eaten  all  that  they 
wished,  Jesus  said,  *^  Gather  up  the  broken 
pieces  now,  so  that  nothing  will  be  wasted," 
and  they  took  up  enough  fragments  of  the 
loaves  and  fishes  to  fill  twelve  baskets. 

The  multitude  had  been   taught   and  fed, 
and  now  Jesus  could  have  at  last  the  quiet 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         157 

hour  of  prayer  for  which  he  longed.  "  Do 
you  go  before  me  across  the  sea,"  he  bade  his 
disciples,  for  he  needed  to  be  free,  even  from 
them.  "  Go  before  me,  and  I  will  send  away 
the  multitude."  But  the  multitude  had  been 
talking  together,  and  some  of  the  chief  men 
among  them  declared  that  Jesus  should  be 
their  king.  "  He  is  surely  the  Messiah,"  they 
said.  "  No  one  but  the  Christ  could  do  such 
a  miracle  as  that.  He  shall  lead  us,  and  Israel 
shall  again  have  a  kingdom."  "But  he  will 
not  be  a  king  and  leader,"  objected  some. 
"He  shall !  he  must !  "  the  others  shouted,  and 
they  would  have  tried  to  make  him  king  by 
force,  but  Jesus  withdrew  from  them  and  went 
up  on  a  mountain  to  pray. 

The  apostles  had  obeyed  him  and  had 
launched  their  boat  to  go  to  Capernaum. 
Twilight  had  deepened  into  evening,  the  night 
had  come,  and  with  the  night  came  a  great 
wind,  and  one  of  the  violent  storms  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee  suddenly  burst  upon  them.  They 
furled  the  sail,  for  the  tempest  was  driving 
them  from  their  way.  It  was  past  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  these  strong 
fishermen  had  been  rowing  for  hours,  but 
they  had  not  yet  made  four  miles.    The  water 


158  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

poured  into  the  little  boat  as  it  pitched  and 
tossed  on  the  waves.  "  If  the  rabbi  were 
only  here  ! "  they  cried,  and  even  as  they 
spoke,  they  saw  his  figure  gleaming  through 
the  darkness. 

"  It  is  the  Master,"  said  one  joyfully. 
"  No,"  said  another,  "  it  is  a  spirit,  for  it 
walks  upon  the  water  as  if  upon  the  land." 
They  were  more  afraid  of  a  spirit  than  of 
a  tempest ;  they  trembled  and  cried  out  in 
fright.  Then  a  loving  face  was  turned  toward 
them,  and  a  familiar  voice  said,  so  clearly 
that  the  words  came  through  the  roaring  of 
the  wind  and  the  sea,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  ;  it 
is  I.  Be  not  afraid."  Still  they  doubted. 
It  looked  like  the  Master,  and  the  voice  was 
his,  but  it  might  be  an  evil  spirit  that  had 
made  itself  look  like  him. 

Suddenly  Peter  remembered  that  Jesus  had 
not  only  been  able  to  do  miracles  himself,  but 
that  when  he  sent  them  out  to  preach  he  had 
given  them,  too,  the  power  to  work  wonders. 
A  spirit  could  perhaps  walk  on  the  water,  he 
thought,  but  only  Jesus  could  give  some  one 
else  the  power  to  stand  on  the  waves.  So  he 
reasoned,  and  he  cried,  "  Lord,  if  it  is  you, 
tell  me  to  come  to  you  on  the  water."     Jesus 


JESUS    WALKING   ON   THE    SEA 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         159 

smiled,  and  said,  "  Come,  Peter."  Peter  did 
not  hesitate  for  a  moment.  He  sprang  from 
the  boat,  and  found  that  he  could  walk  upon 
the  water  as  upon  dry  land.  It  was  no  spirit, 
it  was  the  Master. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  terrible  gust  of  wind, 
and  the  waves  dashed  even  higher.  Peter 
was  afraid.  He  had  seen  the  feeding  of  the 
multitude,  but  he  thought,  "  No  one  would 
have  been  harmed  if  the  bread  had  given  out. 
It  is  different  here,  for  if  the  rabbi's  power 
fails,  I  shall  be  drowned,"  and  as  soon  as  he 
was  afraid,  he  began  to  sink.  "  Save  me.  Lord, 
save  me  !  "  he  cried.  Jesus  stretched  out  his 
hand  and  said,  "  0  man  of  little  faith,  why 
did  you  doubt  me  ?  "  They  stepped  together 
into  the  boat,  and  the  wind  ceased.  Then 
those  who  were  in  the  boat  bowed  before 
Jesus  and  said,  "  Truly,  you  are  the  Son  of 
God."  It  seemed  to  be  only  a  moment  be- 
fore the  boat  was  at  the  landing-place.  There 
stood  great  crowds  of  sick  folk  all  waiting  to 
touch  the  hem  of  the  rabbi's  garment,  and  all 
who  touched  it  were  made  well. 

Another  multitude  was  on  the  side  of  the 
sea  that  the  little  boat  had  left  the  night 
before.      Jesus  had  gone.     Where  could  he 


160  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

be  ?  Some  other  boats  were  near  the  shore, 
and  as  soon  as  they  had  come  to  land,  the 
people  crowded  into  them  and  went  to  Caper- 
naum to  find  the  rabbi.  They  knew  that 
no  other  boat  had  left  the  shore  that  night 
than  the  one  in  which  the  apostles  had  gone, 
and  they  knew  the  rabbi  had  not  gone  with 
them. 

When  they  saw  Jesus  with  his  disciples, 
they  exclaimed,  "  Eabbi,  how  did  you  get 
here  ?  "  Jesus  did  not  give  these  people  a 
welcome,  because  he  knew  why  they  had  come, 
and  he  said,  "  You  came  because  you  ate 
the  loaves  and  fishes  and  had  all  that  you 
wanted.  Do  not  work  for  food  that  will  soon 
perish,  but  for  the  food  that  will  give  you 
eternal  life."  The  people  were  ashamed  for 
a  moment,  and  they  said,  "  What  shall  we 
do  to  work  the  works  of  God  ? "  Jesus  an- 
swered, "  Believe  in  me."  Then  some  one 
called,  "  Eabbi,  show  us  a  miracle.  Moses 
gave  our  fathers  manna  in  the  wilderness ; 
what  can  you  do  to  prove  that  you  are  greater 
than  he?" 

Jesus  knew  that  no  miracle  would  convince 
them  if  that  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  had  not 
done    so,   and   he   would    show   them   none. 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         161 

"  Moses  did  not  give  you  bread  from  heaven," 
he  said.  "  God's  bread  comes  down  from 
heaven  and  gives  Hfe  to  the  world."  They 
had  no  idea  what  he  meant,  but  they  hoped 
that  he  would  give  them  food  as  he  had  done 
on  the  day  before,  and  they  cried,  "  Lord, 
give  us  this  bread."  Then  said  Jesus,  "  I  am 
the  bread  of  life.  He  that  comes  to  me  shall 
not  hunger,  and  he  that  believes  on  me  shall 
not  thirst.  If  any  one  comes  to  me,  I  will 
not  send  him  away.  You  have  seen  me,  and 
yet  you  do  not  believe." 

The  rabbis  murmured  together,  "  Is  not  this 
Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph  the  carpenter  ?  We 
know  his  father  and  his  mother.  How  can 
he  say  that  he  is  come  down  from  heaven  ?  " 
Jesus  turned  to  them  and  said,  "  Do  not  mur- 
mur among  yourselves.  Your  fathers  ate 
manna  in  the  wilderness,  and  they  died.  I  am 
the  bread  of  life.  If  a  man  eats  of  this  bread, 
he  will  live  forever.  The  bread  that  I  will 
give  is  my  flesh,  and  I  will  give  it  so  that  the 
world  may  live."  The  rabbis  and  Pharisees 
had  still  no  idea  of  his  meaning,  and  they 
questioned  scornfully,  "How  can  this  man 
give  us  his  flesh  to  eat  ?  "  Jesus  knew  that 
they  had  not  come  to  learn,  but  only  to  sneer 


162  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

at  him,  and  he  would  give  them  no  further  ex- 
planation. He  only  said  again,  "  Unless  you 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man  and  drink 
his  blood,  you  will  have  no  life  in  yourselves," 
and  there  he  left  them. 

Many  of  his  followers  went  away  from  him 
after  this  address.  They  did  not  understand 
his  meaning,  but  they  did  get  the  idea  that 
the  "  kingdom  of  God,"  as  preached  by  Jesus, 
meant  that  God's  love  would  rule  in  their 
hearts  and  those  of  all  mankind,  and  that  in 
some  way  Jesus  would  suffer  to  bring  this  to 
pass.  They  wanted  a  "  kingdom  of  heaven  " 
that  had  a  throne,  guarded  by  armed  men, 
with  the  Jews  for  the  chief  people  and  every 
one  forced  to  accept  their  religion.  They 
wanted  a  Christ  who  would  be  a  great  mili- 
tary leader,  one  who  would  raise  a  band  of 
soldiers  and  would  work  miracles  to  overcome 
his  enemies  until  he  had  conquered  the  world. 
They  did  not  care  for  this  new  kind  of  Christ, 
and  many  who  had  called  themselves  his  fol- 
lowers went  away  from  him.  Then  Jesus 
said  to  the  twelve,  "  Will  you,  too,  go  away 
from  me  ?  "  Peter  cried  out  for  them  all, 
"  Lord,  to  whom  could  we  go  ?  You  are  teach- 
ing us  how  to  get  eternal  life.    We  know  that 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         163 

you  are  the  Holy  One  of  God."  Jesus  loved 
the  impulsive  Peter.  He  gave  him  one  look 
of  tenderness,  and  then  said  sadly,  "  I  have 
chosen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  evil." 

All  these  things  he  said  either  in  the  syna- 
gogue or  upon  leaving  it  after  morning  wor- 
ship ;  for  he  did  not  give  up  his  habit  of 
going  to  the  synagogue,  though  he  did  not 
follow  the  customs  that  were  foolish  and 
worse  than  foolish  because  those  who  be- 
heved  them  thought  that  they  had  done  all 
that  was  necessary  to  please  God.  One  of 
these  was  the  purifying  of  hands  required 
before  a  meal.  •  This  was  not  for  the  sake  of 
cleanness,  but  was  a  ceremony  ordered  by  the 
rabbis,  and  was  to  be  performed  after  the 
hands  had  first  been  washed  as  clean  as  pos- 
sible. The  finger-tips  were  to  be  joined,  and 
the  hands  held  so  that  the  water  might  run 
down  to  the  elbows  and  then  back  to  the 
fingers.  Three  times  the  water  was  to  be 
poured  upon  the  hands,  and  at  each  time  of 
pouring  a  prayer  must  be  said.  Should  the 
towel  be  laid  upon  the  table  or  upon  the 
couch  ?  That  was  an  important  question, 
and  one  about  which  the  wise  men  had  long 
disagreed. 


164  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

The  Pharisees  and  scribes  kept  close  watch 
of  Jesus,  and  once  they  said  to  him,  "  Your 
disciples  do  not  obey  the  teachings  handed 
down  from  our  ancestors,  for  they  eat  with- 
out washing  their  hands."  Jesus  replied, 
"  Why  do  you  break  God's  commandments 
with  these  teachings  of  yours  ?  God  said, 
^  Honor  your  father  and  mother,'  but  you 
have  made  a  rule  that  even  if  a  man's  parents 
are  poor  and  needy,  he  is  not  obliged  to  help 
them  if  he  chooses  to  say, '  That  is  the  money 
which  I  have  vowed  to  give  to  the  Temple.' 
You  are  hypocrites.  You  honor  God  with 
your  lips,  but  not  mth  your  heart."  A  crowd 
had  gathered  about  him.  He  turned  to  them 
and  said,  "  Listen  to  me !  Let  every  one  of 
you  understand  this  :  Nothing  that  a  man  can 
eat  will  make  him  unclean." 

He  spoke  with  utter  fearlessness  of  rabbis 
and  Pharisees.  His  disciples,  however,  were 
afraid  that  his  enemies  would  do  him  some 
harm,  and  they  asked  him  timidly,  "  Do  you 
know  how  angry  the  Pharisees  were  at  what 
you  said?"  "They  need  not  be,"  was  his 
reply.  "  If  my  words  are  not  true,  they  will 
fall  to  the  ground ;  every  plant  which  my 
Father  has  not  planted   will  be   rooted  up. 


SENDING  FORTH  THE  DISCIPLES         165 

The  Pharisees  are  blind  men  leading  the 
blind."  "  But  tell  us  the  meaning  of  what  you 
said,"  cried  Peter.  "  Do  you  not  understand  ?  " 
asked  Jesus.  "  This  is  what  it  means  :  From 
a  man's  heart  come  evil  thoughts,  theft,  mur- 
der, deceit,  and  pride.  These,  indeed,  make  a 
man  unclean,  but  to  eat  without  washing  the 
hands  does  not  make  him  unclean." 


^ 


X^i)X^p  ot  J^adt^e^ 


XI 

WORDS   OF    SADNESS 

Jesus  was  so  fearless,  and  he  told  wicked 
men  so  boldly  when  they  were  doing  wrong, 
that  he  had  many  enemies.  He  was  not  sur- 
prised ;  he  had  warned  his  disciples  that  his 
coming  would  not  bring  peace,  but  a  sword, 
and  the  anger  of  his  foes  was  like  a  sword  that 
was  turned  against  him.  He  was  to  give  his 
life  to  save  men,  but  the  time  for  the  sacrifice 
had  not  yet  come.  So  when  it  was  dangerous 
for  him  to  stay  any  longer  in  one  place,  he 
left  it  and  went  to  another.  After  he  had 
told  the  rabbis,  in  the  presence  of  crowds  of 
listeners,  that  their  teaching  was  false  and 
wicked,  he  knew  that  he  would  not  be  safe 
among  them.  Then,  too,  he  had  heard  that 
King  Antipas  thought  of  imprisoning  him 
and  putting  him  to  death,  for  fear  that  he 
would  work  some  miracle  in  punishment  of 
the  murder  of  John  the  baptizer.     Thus  far 


170  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Jesus  had  lived  among  the  Jews,  but  now 
he  went  away  from  Galilee  toward  Tyre  and 
Sidon. 

These  were  busy  cities,  famous  because  they 
carried  on  so  much  trade  with  distant  lands, 
and  because  they  manufactured  glass  and  dyes. 
The  Tyrian  purple  was  known  in  all  the  coun- 
tries about  the  Mediterranean.  The  citizens 
were  rich,  and  they  had  built  magnificent  pal- 
aces. There  was  much  to  see  in  these  places, 
but  Jesus  did  not  enter  the  cities.  He  would 
have  been  glad  to  Hve  quietly  for  a  while,  but 
the  people  of  this  heathen  land  had  heard  of 
his  deeds,  and  one  woman  was  in  such  deep  sor- 
row that  she  would  not  be  kept  away  from  him. 

She  followed  him  into  the  house  where  he 
was  staying  and  cried,  "  Have  mercy  on  me ! 
0  Lord,  you  are  the  son  of  David,  help  me  ! 
My  little  daughter  is  tormented  by  a  devil." 
Jesus  did  not  answer  at  once ;  he  waited  to 
see  what  his  disciples  would  say.  ^'  Send  her 
away,"  they  urged,  "  for  she  is  crying  after 
us."  Then  Jesus  said  to  her,  "  I  was  sent  to 
preach  to  the  Jews.  I  must  care  for  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  Still  she 
pleaded,  "  Only  cure  my  little  daughter.  Lord." 

Around  the  house  were  the  half-wild  dogs 


1 

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"..:- '^     i'l'-   -  f.X  A?  v.-  • 

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«kl 

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•^;    1 

WORDS  OF  SADNESS  171 

that  lived  in  the  village,  dashing  in  at  every 
open  door  to  seize  what  might  be  dropped 
from  the  table.  Jesus  pointed  to  them  and 
said,  "  It  is  not  fitting  to  take  the  children's 
bread  and  give  it  to  the  dogs."  But  the 
woman  was  not  to  be  driven  away.  Was 
there  not  bread  enough  and  to  spare  ?  Per- 
haps she  had  heard  that  at  the  feeding  of 
the  five  thousand  many  fragments  remained. 
They  might  have  been  given  to  the  birds  or 
even  to  the  dogs.  There  was  no  Hmit  to  the 
power  of  this  teacher,  and  she  answered 
quickly,  "  Yes,  Lord,  it  is  fitting,  for  even 
the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  that  fall  from 
their  master's  table." 

Jesus  had  only  been  testing  her  so  that  her 
joy  might  be  the  greater  when  he  gave  her 
what  she  asked,  and  now  he  said,  "  0  woman, 
great  is  your  faith  ;  you  shall  have  your  wish." 
The  woman  did  not  delay  a  moment,  for  she 
never  thought  of  doubting  his  word,  and  when 
she  reached  her  own  house,  there  lay  the  little 
daughter  resting  on  her  bed,  and  the  evil  spirit 
had  left  her.  This  act  of  the  Master's  taught 
the  disciples  that  although  he  had  been  sent 
to  the  Jews,  he  would  show  kindness  even  to 
those  who  were  not  of  the  chosen  people. 


172  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

After  his  visit  to  the  land  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  Jesus  returned  to  GaHlee.  Wherever 
he  went,  multitudes  followed,  and  he  healed 
all  that  were  sick.  Among  them  was  one  who 
was  deaf  and  could  speak  only  broken  words. 
Jesus  took  him  aside,  put  his  fingers  into  the 
man's  ears,  touched  his  own  tongue  and  then 
that  of  the  man.  The  deaf  man  knew  that 
Jesus  was  asking  him  if  he  wished  to  hear 
and  to  speak.  He  nodded  eagerly  and  tried 
to  stammer,  "  Yes,  rabbi,  yes."  Jesus  turned 
his  eyes  up  to  heaven.  Help  must  come  from 
God.  The  man  nodded  again.  "Be  opened," 
said  Jesus,  with  a  deep  sigh,  and  the  man's 
ears  were  opened.  He  S23oke  plainly,  and  he 
heard.  "Do  not  tell  of  this,"  bade  the  Healer, 
but  the  people  were  too  full  of  wonder  to  be 
silent.  "  He  does  everything  well,"  they  cried. 
"  He  makes  the  deaf  hear  and  the  dumb 
speak."  This  healing  occurred  near  Decap- 
olis,  where  many  heathen  lived,  and  the  in- 
habitants cried  in  wonder,  "  Great  is  the  God 
of  Israel ! " 

Jesus  returned  once  more  to  Galilee  to 
preach  in  his  own  country  for  the  last  time. 
However  bitterly  the  Pharisees  might  oppose 
him,  the  masses  of  the  people  were  so  glad  to 


WORDS  OF  SADNESS  173 

hear  him  that  they  sometimes  forgot  food  and 
shelter.  Shelter  was  a  small  matter  those 
warm  nights,  and  even  when  their  supply  of 
food  had  given  out,  they  still  refused  to  go 
away. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  Jesus  called  his 
disciples  apart  and  said,  "  I  am  sorry  for  these 
people.  They  have  been  with  me  now  three 
days,  and  they  have  nothing  to  eat.  I  can- 
not send  them  away  hungry,  for  fear  they  will 
faint  by  the  road,  for  many  of  them  came 
from  far  away."  He  stopped  to  see  what  the 
disciples  would  suggest,  but  even  though  they 
had  seen  him  give  food  to  thousands  of  people 
only  a  short  time  before,  they  asked,  as  if  they 
were  surprised  at  his  idea  of  feeding  them, 
^'  How  could  we  have  bread  enough  here  in 
the  wilderness  for  all  these  men  ? "  Jesus 
asked,  "  How  many  loaves  have  you  ?  " 
"  Seven,"  they  answered,  "  and  a  few  small 
fishes." 

There  were  more  loaves  than  when  he  had 
fed  the  multitude  before,  and  there  were  pre- 
sent only  four  thousand  men,  while  before 
there  had  been  five  thousand,  but  it  did  not 
seem  to  occur  to  the  disciples  that  Jesus  could 
repeat   the   miracle.       They   must   have   felt 


174  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

ashamed  when  he  told  the  people  to  be  seated, 
gave  thanks  to  God  for  the  bread,  broke  it, 
and  gave  it  to  the  disciples  to  distribute. 
Seven  basketfuls  were  left  of  the  broken 
pieces.  Then  Jesus  sent  the  multitude  away. 
He  was  sorry  to  have  them  go,  for  they  were 
simple,  loving  people,  who  had  been  glad  to 
listen  to  him,  and  he  knew  that  in  leaving  that 
part  of  the  country  and  returning  to  the  west- 
ern coast  of  the  sea,  he  was  going  directly 
into  danger  and  trouble. 

Not  long  after  he  landed  a  company  of 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came  to  him  and  said 
haughtily,  "  So  you  claim  to  be  the  Christ  ? 
If  your  claim  is  just,  show  us  a  miracle  great 
enough  to  prove  it."  Jesus  knew  that  no 
matter  what  they  saw,  they  would  say  it  was 
not  a  miracle  at  all,  or  that  it  had  been  done 
by  the  power  of  the  devil,  and  he  refused  to 
show  them  one.  He  answered,  "  When  it  is 
evening,  you  look  at  the  heavens  and  say,  '  It 
wiU  be  fair  weather  to-morrow,  for  the  skv 
is  red ; '  or  perhaps  in  the  morning  you  say, 
*  The  sky  is  red  and  lowering,  we  shall  have 
foul  weather  to-day.'  You  know  how  to  read 
in  the  sky  the  signs  of  the  weather,  but  you 
cannot  see  the  signs  of  the  times.     You  are 


WORDS  OF  SADNESS  175 

wicked  men,  and  no  sign  shall  be  given  you 
but  that  of  the  prophet  Jonah."  He  left 
them,  and  getting  into  the  boat  with  his  dis- 
ciples, he  went  across  the  sea. 

As  they  came  to  the  other  side,  the  disci- 
ples remembered  that  in  their  sudden  start 
they  had  forgotten  to  take  bread  with  them, 
and  that  there  was  only  one  loaf  in  the  boat. 
They  were  as  troubled  and  anxious  as  if  they 
had  not  j  list  seen  Jesus  provide  food  for  thou- 
sands. "  Perhaps  he  will  not  wish  us  to  buy 
of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,"  they  whis- 
pered, "  and  how  shall  we  get  bread  ?  "  Jesus 
was  thinking  of  the  unbelievers  who  had  de- 
manded a  miracle,  and  of  how  much  harm 
they  would  do  among  the  people.  He  heard 
the  word  "bread,"  and  said  aloud,  "  Beware  of 
the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees." 
"He  is  not  pleased  that  we  forgot  the  bread," 
the  disciples  whispered,  "  and  he  does  not  wish 
us  to  buy  any  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees." Then  the  Master  was  grieved  that 
these  men  whom  he  loved  and  taught  should 
understand  him  so  little,  and  he  said,  "  Do  you 
not  remember  the  five  loaves  and  the  five  thou- 
sand men,  or  the  seven  loaves  and  the  four 
thousand  ?     Have  you  forgotten   how  many 


176  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

basketf uls  of  fragments  you  took  up  ?  You 
have  eyes ;  do  you  not  see  ?  You  have  ears  ; 
do  you  not  hear  ?  Do  you  not  understand 
even  now  ?  "  Then  at  last  they  understood 
that  he  had  warned  them  to  bew^are  not  of 
bread,  but  of  the  teachings  of  the  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  Jesus  felt  a  deep 
wrath  toward  these  two  classes  of  people,  for 
both  did  great  harm  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  Pharisees  required  men  to  obey  their 
teachings,  even,  as  Jesus  had  shown,  when 
they  were  contrary  to  the  law  of  Moses  ;  and 
they  taught  that  if  a  man  only  kept  the  cere- 
monial law,  he  was  pleasing  to  God.  The 
Sadducees  were  descended  from  long  lines  of 
priests,  and  they  held  the  highest  offices  in 
the  Jewish  church.  They  claimed  that  they 
obeyed  the  law  of  Moses  better  than  any  one 
else,  and  they  scorned  the  teachings  of  the 
Pharisees.  Jesus  had  preached  that  the  "  clean- 
ness "  of  the  Pharisees  was  of  no  value  unless 
the  heart,  too,  was  clean,  and  that  a  higher  law 
than  that  given  by  Moses  was  to  rule  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  If  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
was  believed,  both  these  parties  would  lose 
power  and  position.    Therefore,  much  as  they 


WORDS   OF  SADNESS  177 

hated  each  other,  they  hated  him  even  more, 
and  they  united  against  hini. 

In  spite  of  their  hatred,  Jesus  went  quietly 
on  in  his  own  path.  He  healed  a  blind  man, 
and  took  no  care  for  his  own  safety  other  than 
bidding  the  man  not  to  talk  of  him,  but  to  go 
directly  to  his  own  home.  This  was  done  at 
Bethsaida,  for  Jesus  was  still  in  Galilee.  Here 
he  had  done  most  of  his  preaching,  and  now 
he  asked  his  disciples  what  the  men  of  Galilee 
said  of  him.  "  Who  do  men  say  that  I  am  ?  " 
he  asked,  and  they  answered,  "  Some  say  John 
the  baptizer ;  some,  Elijah ;  some,  Jeremiah ; 
and  some,  another  of  the  prophets."  Jesus 
paused.  Was  it  possible  that  after  all  those 
months  of  teaching,  Galilee,  his  own  Galilee, 
did  not  know  he  was  the  Messiah?  Peter 
saw  the  grief  in  his  Master's  face,  and  when 
after  a  moment's  silence  Jesus  asked,  "  But 
who  do  you  say  that  I  am  ?  "  he  burst  forth, 
"  You  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  hving 
God."  A  rare  look  of  happiness  shone  on 
the  face  of  Jesus,  and  he  said,  "  Blessed  are 
you,  Simon,  for  you  have  not  learned  this 
from  men,  but  from  my  Father  who  is  in 
heaven.  You  are  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  church."     Then  Peter  under- 


178  THE  CHRIST  STORY 


stood  why  Jesus  had  long  before  given  hini 
the  name,  for  it  was  upon  these  words  of  his 
that  the  church  of  Christ  was  to  be  founded. 

Peter  was  very  happy,  but  his  joy  was  soon 
turned  to  sadness,  for  Jesus  began  to  talk 
plainly  to  his  disciples  about  a  great  sorrow 
that  was  coming  upon  them.  He  said,  "  I 
must  suffer  many  things.  I  must  go  to  Jeru- 
salem, be  rejected  by  the  elders,  the  chief 
priests,  and  the  scribes,  be  killed,  and  on  the 
third  day  be  raised  up  from  the  dead."  He 
had  told  them  these  things  before,  but  not 
so  clearly.  He  had  said  that  he  should  be 
three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of 
the  earth,  and  he  had  said  that  he  should 
give  them  his  flesh  to  eat,  but  they  had  not 
thought  he  meant  that  he  should  die.  "  He 
has  just  told  us  that  he  is  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,"  thought  Peter.  "  We  will  fight  for 
him.  There  are  thousands  that  love  him  and 
believe  in  him.  We  will  save  him  from  his 
enemies."  He  threw  his  arm  about  Jesus  and 
exclaimed,  "  Never,  Master,  never  ^shall  this 
come  to  you !  "  for  even  Peter  had  not  given 
up  the  idea  that  Jesus  was  to  be  a  ffreat 
king  and  lead  the  Jews  on  to  conquer  the 
world. 


WORDS  OF  SADNESS  179 

Jesus  knew  what  Peter  was  thinking.  This 
idea  of  making  himself  a  king  by  force  had 
come  to  him  in  the  wilderness,  and  he  cried, 
as  he  had  done  in  the  desert,  "  Away  from 
me,  thou  evil  one,  get  thee  hence  !  Peter, 
you  are  not  thinking  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
but  of  the  kingdom  of  men."  Then  he  said 
to  all  the  disciples  and  to  the  multitude  wait- 
ing to  be  taught,  "  Whoever  tries  to  save  his 
life  shall  lose  it,  and  whoever  loses  his  Hfe  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it.  If  any  one  among  you 
wishes  to  be  Hke  me,  let  him  take  up  his  cross 
and  follow  me."  The  disciples  knew  that  pris- 
oners who  were  to  be  crucified  were  obliged  to 
carry  to  the  place  of  execution  the  cross  on 
which  they  were  to  die  ;  but  even  after  these 
plain  words,  they  could  not  believe  that  the 
Master  whom  they  loved  would  die  the  death 
of  a  criminal.  He  had  taught  them  so  much 
by  parables  that  they  thought  this,  too,  might 
be  a  kind  of  parable,  and  meant  perhaps  only 
that  there  would  be  more  trouble  than  they 
had  expected  in  establishing  the  kingdom  of 
the  Jews.  Still,  they  were  very  sad,  especially 
Peter  and  James  and  John,  three  of  his  first 
disciples,  for  no  matter  how  much  they  tried 
to  explain  away  his  words,  they  could  not  help 


180  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

knowing  that  some  sorrow  was  coming  to  those 
who  loved  the  Master. 

These  three  always  seemed  a  little  nearer 
to  Jesus  than  the  others,  and  to  comfort  them 
he  took  them  with  him  that  evening  when  he 
went  up  on  a  mountain  to  pray.  While  he 
prayed  a  little  way  from  them,  they  sat  with 
half-closed  eyes  and  leaned  against  the  rock, 
for  they  were  sad  and  weary.  Suddenly  they 
heard  voices,  and  only  half  awake  they  started 
up,  fearing  lest  harm  had  already  come  to  the 
Master.  But  as  they  opened  their  eyes,  they 
saw  him  standing  on  the  little  height  above 
them.  His  garments  were  white  as  the  light, 
and  his  face  shone  Hke  the  sun.  With  him 
were  two  men  ;  one  was  Moses,  and  one  was 
Elijah,  and  their  words  came  clearly  to  the 
ears  of  the  disciples.  They  were  talking  of 
death,  the  death  of  the  Master,  and  of  Jeru- 
salem. "  When  you  have  been  crucified  at 
Jerusalem,"  they  said.  Peter  fancied  that  if 
Moses  and  Elijah  would  only  stay  on  earth, 
they  could  in  some  way  keep  harm  from 
Jesus,  and  he  cried,  "  Master,  I  am  glad  we- 
are  here.  Let  us  make  three  tabernacles  of 
boughs,  one  for  you,  one  for  Moses,  and  one 
for  Elijah."     But  while  he  was  speaking,  a 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION 


WORDS  OF  SADNESS  181 

bright  cloud  overshadowed  them  all,  and  the 
disciples  were  afraid.  Then  came  a  voice. 
They  knew  that  it  was  not  the  voice  of  a  man, 
and  they  fell  on  their  faces  in  fear.  The 
voice  said,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son ;  hear 
him."  As  they  lay  on  the  ground  in  wonder 
and  dread,  a  gentle  hand  touched  them,  and 
the  voice  of  the  Master  said,  "  Arise,  and  do 
not  be  afraid."  The  cloud  had  passed,  Moses 
and  Elijah  were  gone,  and  Jesus  was  alone 
with  them. 

All  that  night  they  stayed  on  the  mountain. 
When  they  were  coming  down  in  the  morning, 
Jesus  said,  "  Do  not  tell  any  one  what  you  have 
seen  until  after  I  have  risen  from  the  dead.'* 
"  What  can  that  mean  ?  "  the  disciples  ques- 
tioned of  one  another.  "  The  dead  will  not  rise 
until  the  resurrection,  and  Elijah  must  come 
first,  for  that  is  what  the  prophets  say."  At 
last  they  ventured  to  ask  Jesus,  and  he  said, 
"  EKjah  has  come  already,  and  men  have  done 
to  him  what  they  wished,  just  as  the  pro- 
phets foretold."  The  disciples  knew  then  that 
he  meant  John  the  baptizer,  but  even  after 
the  words  of  Jesus  and  after  the  vision  on  the 
mountain,  they  did  not  understand  that  their 
Master  must  die  on  the  cross  at  Jerusalem. 


MJr«     1  iMicj..^ 


€^  a.i:e  tl>e  ^rcate^st 


TN 


XII 

WHO   ARE    THE    GREATEST? 

When  Jesus  and  the  three  came  down  from 
the  mountain,  they  saw  a  crowd  gathered 
around  some  of  the  scribes  and  two  or  three 
of  the  disciples.  The  disciples  looked  puzzled 
and  ashamed,  and  the  scribes  were  laughing 
scornfully  and  saying,  "  So  you  could  not  do 
that !  Beelzebub  did  not  help  you  then." 
As  Jesus  came  near,  the  people  ran  to  meet 
him  and  give  him  welcome.  The  man  who 
was  first  of  all  fell  on  the  ground  before  him 
to  do  him  honor  and  said,  "  0  Master,  I 
brought  my  boy  to  you,  but  you  were  not 
here.  He  is  possessed  by  a  deaf  and  dumb 
spirit,  and  when  the  spirit  seizes  him,  it  throws 
him  down.  He  foams  at  the  mouth  and 
grinds  his  teeth.  I  asked  your  disciples  to 
cure  him,  but  they  could  not." 

As  the  father  and  son  stood  before  Jesus, 
the  boy  fell  on  the  ground  and  foamed  at  the 


186  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

mouth.  Jesus  was  sorry  for  him  and  for  the 
father,  and  he  asked,  "  How  long  has  this  been 
so?"  The  scribes  were  hstening  to  every 
word  and  saying  to  one  another,  "  He  is  asking 
questions  instead  of  curing  him.  He  cannot 
heal  the  boy  any  more  than  those  followers  of 
his  could." 

The  father  paid  no  attention  to  them, 
but  answered  the  question  of  Jesus  and  said, 
"  He  has  suffered  like  this  ever  since  he  was 
a  little  child.  Sometimes  the  spirit  throws 
him  into  the  water  and  sometimes  into  the 
fire.  0  rabbi,  pity  us,  and  help  us  if  you 
can."  Then  Jesus  said,  "  If  I  can  ?  One  who 
believes  in  me  may  have  what  he  will."  The 
father  cried,  "  I  do  believe  in  you.  Lord. 
Forgive  me  that  I  doubted  you."  Jesus  said 
to  the  spirit,  "  Come  out  of  him,  and  never 
return  to  him."  The  boy  gave  a  loud  cry  and 
for  a  moment  seemed  worse  than  ever.  Then 
he  lay  so  still  that  the  scribes  said,  "He  is 
dead.  That  is  the  way  he  is  cured."  But 
Jesus  took  the  boy  by  the  hand,  and  he 
opened  his  eyes  and  saw  his  father  and  went 
to  him.  He  was  healed,  and  the  spirit  had 
gone  from  him. 

The  disciples  followed  Jesus,  and  when  they 


WHO  ARE  THE  GREATEST?  187 

were  away  from  the  multitude,  they  said,  "Mas- 
ter, you  gave  us  the  power  to  cast  out  devils ; 
why  could  we  not  cast  out  this  one  ?  "  Jesus 
answered,  "  Because  you  were  afraid  that  you 
could  not.  If  you  had  faith  like  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  you  could  say  to  this  mountain, 
^Go  to  another  place,'  and  it  would  go.  No- 
thing is  impossible  if  you  only  believe  in  me." 

There  was  one  thing  which  it  seemed  im- 
possible for  the  disciples  to  believe,  and  that 
was  that  their  Master  would  be  put  to  death. 
Jesus  was  afraid  that  if  they  did  not  expect 
his  death,  they  would  not  only  be  sorry  and 
lonely  when  it  came  to  pass,  but  they  might 
even  wonder  whether  he  really  was  the  Christ ; 
so  he  told  them  again  that  he  should  be  killed, 
and  on  the  third  day  he  should  rise  from  the 
dead.  One  of  them  said  long  afterwards, 
"  We  did  not  understand  him.  What  he  meant 
seemed  to  be  hidden  from  us."  It  was  some 
time  before  he  spoke  again  of  dying.  The 
daily  life  of  teaching  and  healing  went  on  as 
usual,  and  the  disciples  tried  to  forget  what 
he  had  said. 

They  went  to  Capernaum,  and  there  Peter 
was  met  by  the  man  who  collected  the  tax 
which  every  Jew  was  expected  to  pay  for  the 


t^ 


188  THE  CHRIST    STORY 

support  of  the  Temple.  "  Does  your  Master 
pay  the  Temple  tax  ?  "  he  asked.  Peter  an- 
swered, "Yes,"  and  went  to  tell  Jesus.  Before 
he  could  speak,  Jesus  said,  "  I  have  a  question 
for  you,  Simon,  Ought  the  king's  sons  or  his 
subjects  to  pay  him  a  tax  ?  "  "  The  subjects," 
said  Peter.  "  Then  the  sons  are  free,"  declared 
Jesus,  "but  if  we  refuse  to  pay,  they  will 
not  understand  us,  so  go  down  to  the  sea  and 
throw  out  your  hook.  In  the  mouth  of  the 
first  fish  that  you  catch  there  will  be  a  shekel, 
and  that  will  pay  the  tax  for  us  both."  Peter 
knew  that  Jesus  meant  the  Temple  was  his 
Father's  home,  and  that  Jesus  remembered 
Peter's  words,  "  You  are  the  Son  of  the  liv- 
ing God,"  and  was  pleased  with  him,  so  he 
went  away  gladly  to  pay  the  tax. 

The  disciples  understood  parts  of  their 
Master's  teachings,  but  just  as  they  could  not 
understand  that  he  was  really  to  be  put  to 
death,  so  they  could  not  seem  to  reaHze  what 
he  meant  by  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  they 
still  thought  it  must  be  what  they  had  always 
supposed,  an  earthly  kingdom  with  a  throne 
and  a  palace  and  thousands  of  soldiers. 

As  they  entered  the  house  where  they  were  to 
stay  in  Capernaum,  Jesus  asked,  "  What  were 


< 

a 
w 

< 
(J 

b 
O 


WHO  ARE  THE  GREATEST?  189 

you  talking  about  on  the  way  ?  "  They  hung 
their  heads,  and  no  one  answered,  for  on  the 
way  they  had  been  disputing  about  who  would 
have  the  highest  place  when  the  Master  be- 
came king.  They  saw  that  he  knew  what 
they  had  done,  and  they  were  ashamed.  A 
Httle  boy  of  the  house  was  watching  Jesus  and 
wishing  that  he  dared  to  speak  to  the  rabbi, 
when  Jesus  looked  at  him  and  said,  "Come." 
The  little  one  ran  to  him,  and  Jesus  took  him 
up  in  his  arms.  Then  as  the  twelve  men 
stood  before  their  Master,  Jesus  said,  "  The 
one  who  is  humblest  is  greatest,  and  unless 
you  become  as  humble  as  this  little  child,  you 
cannot  enter  my  kingdom.  If  any  one  receives 
a  little  child  in  my  name,  he  is  receiving  me 
and  my  Father  who  sent  me." 

John  said,  "  Master,  we  saw  a  man  casting 
out  devils  in  your  name,  and  we  forbade  him 
because  he  was  not  one  of  us."  "  Do  not 
forbid  him,"  repHed  Jesus.  "  If  he  ti-usts  me 
so  that  he  can  cast  out  devils  in  my  name,  he 
is  your  friend  and  he  shall  be  rewarded. 
Whoever  gives  you  even  a  cup  of  cold  water 
because  you  are  mine  shall  have  a  reward ; 
but  if  you  turn  a  man  away  from  me  who 
knows  me  and  trusts  me  even  a  httle,  it  would 


190  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

be  better  for  you  if  a  millstone  were  bung 
about  your  neck  and  you  were  sunk  in  tbe 
depths  of  the  sea.  Do  not  despise  even  those 
who  have  only  a  little  faith  in  me,  for  the 
angels  of  my  Father  are  watching  them  and 
caring  for  them.  If  a  man  has  a  hundred 
sheep  and  one  of  them  wanders  away  from 
the  fold,  does  he  not  leave  the  ninety-nine 
that  are  safe  and  go  out  on  the  mountains 
to  search  for  the  one  that  is  lost?  And  if 
he  finds  it,  does  he  not  rejoice  more  over 
that  one  sheep  than  over  the  ninety-nine  that 
did  not  wander  away  ?  As  the  shepherd 
feels  toward  the  sheep,  so  my  Father  feels 
toward  one  who  is  trying  to  obey  him,  even 
if  that  one  does  not  fully  understand  how 
to  do  his  will.  Again,  you  are  the  salt  of 
the  earth,  for  you  have  been  with  me  and 
learned  of  me,  and  as  a  little  salt  seasons 
food,  so  you  are  to  spread  my  teachings 
through  the  whole  w^orld  ;  but  if  salt  has  lost 
its  flavor,  it  is  good  for  nothing.  If  you  dis- 
pute among  yourselves,  you  will  make  people 
doubt  me  and  my  teachings." 

Then  Jesus  told  them  what  to  do  if  one  of 
them  bad  injured  another.  "  If  one  of  your 
brethren  has  harmed  you,"  he  said,  "  do  not 


WHO   ARE   THE   GREATEST  ?  .  191 

talk  about  it  to  other  people,  but  go  to  him 
and  tell  him  how  he  has  wronged  you.  Per- 
haps he  will  listen  to  you  and  be  sorry  for 
what  he  has  done ;  but  if  not,  ask  one  or  two 
of  your  friends  to  talk  with  him,  and  try  to 
persuade  him  to  do  right,  not  for  the  sake  of 
having  your  own  way,  but  so  that  there  may 
be  peace  among  my  followers.  If  any  two  of 
you  agree  to  ask  a  good  gift  of  my  Father, 
he  will  give  it  to  you  ;  for  when  you  meet 
together  to  ask  it  in  my  name,  I  will  be  with 
you  and  tell  you  what|to  ask  of  him." 

The  disciples  did  not  understand  all  that 
Jesus  had  said.  The  rabbis  taught  that  a 
righteous  Jew  must  forgive  once,  twice,  and 
three  times  any  one  who  injured  him,  and 
that  was  all  that  could  be  asked.  The  dis- 
ciples knew  that  Jesus  required  more  than  the 
rabbis,  and  Peter  asked  if  seven  times  would 
be  enough.  "  Not  seven  times,"  said  Jesus, 
"  but  seventy  times  seven.  Hear  this  parable  : 
There  was  once  a  king  who  sent  for  his  col- 
lectors of  taxes  to  make  a  settlement  with 
them.  *Here  is  a  man  who  owes  you  ten 
thousand  talents,'  the  officers  reported.  This 
collector  could  not  pay  what  he  owed,  and 
the  king  said,  *  Take  all  the  property  that  he 


192  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

has.  Sell  him  and  his  wife  and  his  children, 
as  slaves  and  bring-  the  money  to  me.'  Then 
the  collector  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  the  king- 
and  cried,  ^  Only  be  patient  with  me.  Give 
me  time,  and  I  will  pay  you  all.'  The  king 
was  sorry  for  him,  and  said,  '  You  can  never 
pay  so  much,  but  I  will  forgive  you  the  whole 
debt.'  The  collector  went  from  the  kind- 
hearted  king  and  found  a  man  who  owed  him 
one  hundred  pence,  one  seven  hundred-thou- 
sandth of  what  he  had  owed  the  king,  and 
caught  him  by  the  throat,  and  cried,  '  Pay 
me  what  you  owe  me.'  The  man  fell  down 
at  the  collector's  feet  and  begged,  just  as  he 
himself  had  begged  of  the  king,  ^  Only  be 
patient  with  me.  Give  me  time,  and  I  will 
pay  you  all.'  But  the  collector  was  merciless. 
'  Throw  him  into  prison,'  he  commanded,  ^  and 
keep  him  there  till  he  pays  what  he  owes  me.' 
The  other  collectors  were  so  sorry  for  the  man 
that  they  told  the  king  the  whole  story.  He 
sent  for  the  merciless  collector  and  said,  ^  You 
are  a  wicked  man.  I  forgave  you  your  debt, 
and  you  ought  to  have  had  mercy  on  that 
man  just  as  I  had  mercy  on  you.  Take  him 
to  prison,'  the  king  said  to  his  officers,  '  and 
let  him  suffer  there  till  he  can  pay  his  debt.' " 


WHO  ARE  THE  GREATEST?  193 

Then  said  Jesus  to  his  disciples,  "  Learn  from 
this  that  if  you  do  not  forgive  others,  my 
Father  in  heaven  will  not  forsfive  vou." 

After  this  sermon  some  of  the  disciples,  if 
not  all,  understood  a  httle  better  than  before 
what  Christ's  kingdom  was  to  be,  but  many 
of  his  own  relations  did  not  understand  him 
or  beheve  in  his  kingdom.  The  disciples 
wished  to  keep  him  away  from  Judea,  for  fear 
his  enemies  would  kill  him,  but  some  of  his 
relations  urged  him  to  go  to  Jerusalem  to  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles.  "  Go  on  into  Judea," 
they  said.  "  When  a  man  wishes  to  be  known, 
he  must  not  work  in  secret.  It  is  time  for 
the  journey  to  begin.  Go  up  and  show  what 
you  can  do."  Jesus  knew  that  they  wished 
him  to  gain  power,  not  so  that  men  might 
hear  the  truth,  but  so  that  they  themselves 
might  be  called  great  because  they  were  re- 
lated to  him,  and  he  refused  to  go  at  that 
time.  He  meant  to  go  later,  but  not  with  the 
great  company  of  pilgi-ims  that  was  about  to 
start. 

When  the  long  caravan  of  people  from 
Galilee  came  to  Jerusalem,  Jesus  was  not  with 
them.  Many  had  expected  to  see  him,  and 
there  was  much  talk  about  him  and  his  words. 


194  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

Some  said,  "  He  is  a  good  man,"  but  others 
said,  "  No,  he  is  not,  for  he  does  not  teach 
men  as  the  priests  do."  The  feast  lasted  one 
week,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  Jesus  came  to 
Jerusalem,  but  as  he  had  not  come  with  the 
Galilean  company,  his  enemies  were  not  look- 
ing for  him.  He  began  to  teach  in  the  Temple, 
as  any  rabbi  might  do,  and  even  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  who  heard  him  were  amazed, 
and  said,  "  He  has  never  studied  in  the  schools 
of  the  rabbis.  How  is  it,  then,  that  he  can 
explain  the  Scriptures  like  a  great  rabbi  ? " 
Jesus  heard  them,  and  answered,  "  My  teach- 
ing does  not  come  from  the  rabbis,  but  from 
God  who  sent  me.  The  way  to  learn  about  God 
is  not  to  study  the  writings  of  the  rabbis,  but 
to  do  what  God  wishes.  You  are  angry  with 
me  because  I  once  cured  a  man  at  the  pool  of 
Bethesda  on  the  Sabbath  day.  You  remem- 
ber that  Moses  told  you  to  keep  the  Sabbath, 
but  you  forget  that  he  told  you  to  love  your 
neighbor  as  yourself.  That  is  a  higher  law 
than  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  but  you  break  it 
because  you  hate  me." 

Jesus  spoke  so  fearlessly  that  some  of  those 
who  Hved  in  Jerusalem  said,  "Is  not  this  the 
man  whom  the  rulers  wished  to  kill  ?     Per- 


WHO  ARE  THE  GREATEST?  195 

haps  they  think  now  that  he  is  really  the 
Messiah,  and  that  is  why  they  do  not  stop 
him."  Then  others  cried,  "No,  this  is  not 
the  Messiah.  This  man  comes  from  Naza- 
reth, but  no  one  will  know  what  place  the 
Christ  comes  from.  He  is  not  the  Messiah." 
Jesus  heard  them  speaking,  and  he  said, 
"  You  know  that  I  am  from  Nazareth,  but 
you  do  not  know  that  I  am  from  God,  be- 
cause you  do  not  know  him.  I  know  him, 
and  he  sent  me."  Then  some  of  them 
cried,  "He  is  a  blasphemer.  Take  him  out 
and  stone  him  !  "  But  others  said,  "  When 
Christ  comes,  can  he  do  any  more  miracles 
than  this  man  ?  "  The  Pharisees  heard  that 
the  people  thought  he  might  be  Christ,  and 
they  were  alarmed.  "  We  must  take  him 
prisoner  before  he  gains  any  more  followers," 
they  said,  and  they  sent  out  their  officers  to 
take  him. 

The  people  went  on  talking  about  him. 
Some  said,  "  He  is  surely  Elijah ; "  others 
said,  "  No,  he  is  the  Christ  himself."  Then 
the  first  declared,  "  This  man  comes  from 
Galilee.  He  cannot  be  the  Christ,  for  the 
Scriptures  say  Christ  will  be  descended  from 
David  and  will  be  born  in  David's  own  village 


196  THE  CHRIST  STORY     . 

of  Bethlehem."  They  became  so  excited  that 
some  of  them  were  ready  to  take  him  prisoner  ; 
but  whenever  they  drew  near  enough  to  hear 
his  words,  his  teachings  were  so  true  and 
noble  that  they  could  not  lift  their  hands 
against  him.  Even  the  officers  who  had  been 
sent  out  to  capture  him  went  back  to  the 
chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  without  him. 
"  Why  did  you  not  bring  him  ?  "  the  Phari- 
sees demanded,  and  the  officers  answered, 
"  We  could  not,  for  there  never  was  a  man 
who  spoke  like  him."  "  So  you,  the  officers 
of  the  council,  are  led  away  with  the  rabble  !  " 
the  Pharisees  cried  scornfully.  "  Do  any  of 
the  rulers  believe  in  him,  or  any  of  the  Phari- 
sees ?  They  know  the  law,  but  the  rabble 
know  nothing  of  it,  and  they  are  the  ones 
who  follow  this  man." 

One  of  the  members  of  the  council  was  that 
same  Nicodemus  who  had  come  to  Jesus  in 
the  night.  He  thought  that  if  Jesus  was 
brought  before  the  council,  he  would  speak 
so  truly  that  they  could  not  help  believing 
in  him,  and  he  said,  "  Does  our  law  condemn 
a  man  without  knowing  what  he  has  done  ? 
Let  us  hear  him  for  ourselves."  But  the 
others  only  scoffed  at  him,  and  said,  "  Oh  yes, 


WHO  ARE  THE  GREATEST?  197 

you  are  his  friend.  You  come  from  Galilee. 
Search  the  Scriptures,  and  you  will  see  that 
no  prophet  ever  came  from  Galilee." 

The  council  did  not  call  him  before  them, 
and  they  did  not  take  him  prisoner.  Indeed, 
they  hardly  dared  to  try  to  take  him,  and 
more  than  once  before  he  left  Jerusalem  he 
taught  those  who  would  listen  to  him.  Dur- 
ing the  last  of  these  talks  the  people  became 
very  angry  with  him.  He  said,  "  If  a  man 
follows  my  teachings,  he  will  never  die."  The 
listeners  cried,  "  You  are  possessed  by  a  devil. 
Abraham  died,  and  the  prophets  died,  and  you 
say  that  if  a  man  follows  you,  he  will  never 
die.  Are  you  greater  than  Abraham  and  the 
prophets  ?  "  "  Abraham  was  glad  when  he 
knew  that  I  shoidd  come  of  his  race,  and  he 
has  seen  me,"  said  Jesus.  Jesus  meant  that 
Abraham  was  glad  in  Paradise  to  see  that 
he  had  come  upon  the  earth,  but  the  crowd 
thought  of  nothing  but  the  time  when  Abra- 
ham had  lived  on  the  earth,  two  thousand 
years  before,  and  they  cried  out,  "  So  you  say 
you  have  seen  Abraham,  and  you  are  not  yet 
fifty  years  old ! "  and  they  mocked  him  and 
scoffed  at  him.  Jesus  answered  slowly  and 
solemnly,  "  I  lived  before  Abraham."     "  He 


198  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

calls  himself  God  !  "  they  shrieked.  "  He  is  a 
blasphemer  !  Stone  him,  stone  liim  !  "  It 
was  not  yet  time  for  Jesus  to  die,  and  when 
the  crowd  would  have  hurled  their  stones  at 
him,  he  had  gone  from  among  them. 


>ij 


XIII 

IN    THE    LAND    OF   THE    SAMARITANS 

Jesus  went  back  to  Galilee,  for  it  was  his  own 
land  and  he  longed  to  see  it  once  more.  He 
could  stay  but  a  Httle  while,  for  he  was  soon 
to  set  out  on  his  last  journey.  This  was  to  be 
only  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem,  but  it  was  to 
take  many  weeks,  for  he  meant  to  preach  on 
the  way  to  all  who  would  hear  him. 

He  started  to  go  through  Samaria,  as  he 
had  done  once  before.  It  would  have  made 
him  very  happy  if  the  Samaritans  had  been  as 
glad  to  see  him  as  they  were  on  his  first  visit ; 
and  perhaps  they  would  have  welcomed  him 
if  he  had  been  going  north  instead  of  south ; 
but  they  knew  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  they  never  forgot  the  old  quarrel 
between  them  and  the  Jews,  whether  men 
should  worship  at  Jerusalem  or  on  Mount 
Gerizim.  James  and  John  went  before  the 
others  and  asked  in  a  Samaritan  village,  "  Will 


202  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

you  give  us  shelter  for  the  night,  the  Christ 
and  his  disciples  ?  "  "  The  Christ !  "  cried 
the  Samaritans.  "  When  Christ  comes,  he 
will  build  a  great  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim. 
He  will  not  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  No,  we  will 
give  no  shelter  to  a  Christ  of  Jerusalem." 
Then  James  and  John  went  back  to  the  Mas- 
ter and  said,  "  Rabbi,  shall  we  call  down  fire 
from  heaven  to  burn  their  village  ? "  but 
Jesus  said,  "  No,  the  power  that  I  have  given 
you  was  given  so  you  could  help  men,  not 
destroy  them.  We  will  leave  them  and  go  to 
another  village." 

While  they  were  on  their  way,  one  of  the 
Samaritans  came  to  Jesus  and  said,  "  Lord,  let 
me  go  with  you.  I  will  follow  you  even  to 
Jerusalem ; "  but  Jesus  answered,  "  Foxes 
have  holes  and  birds  of  the  air  have  nests, 
but  I  have  nowhere  to  lay  my  head."  Jesus 
had  asked  a  second  Samaritan  to  follow  him, 
and  the  man  had  said,  "  Yes,  Lord,  but  my 
father  is  dead.  Let  me  go  first  and  bury 
him."  Jesus  replied,  "  No,  follow  me."  A 
third  said,  "  I  will  follow  you,  but  let  me  go 
home  first  and  say  good-by  to  my  family  and 
my  friends,"  but  Jesus  shook  his  head.  "  No 
man  can  follow  me  who  looks  back  after  he 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     203 

has  once  put  his  hand  to  the  plough."  Jesus 
knew  that  a  time  o£  trouble  and  danger  would 
soon  come  to  his  disciples,  and  he  did  not 
wish  to  add  to  their  number  men  whom  he 
had  little  time  to  test.  That  was  why  he 
made  it  so  clear  to  those  three  that  they  could 
not  go  with  him  unless  they  were  ready  to 
give  up  everything  for  his  sake. 

The  Samaritans  had  treated  Jesus  very 
unkindly,  but  he  was  not  angry  with  them ; 
he  was  only  sorry  that  they  did  not  see  what 
was  right,  and  he  planned  a  way  to  teach 
them.  He  called  together  seventy  of  those 
who  had  listened  to  him  and  understood  his 
teachings  best,  and,  just  as  he  had  sent  the 
twelve  on  a  missionary  journey  through  Gali- 
lee, so  he  now  sent  these  seventy  through 
Samaria,  that  the  Samaritans  might  be  made 
ready  to  hsten  to  him  when  he  came  to  them. 
The  Jews  beheved  there  were  just  seventy 
nations  in  the  world,  therefore  Jesus  chose 
this  special  number,  so  that  all  might  un- 
derstand he  meant  his  Gospel  for  the  whole 
world.  He  gave  these  men  nearly  the  same 
directions  that  he  had  given  the  twelve,  but 
one  of  his  commands  must  have  been  espe- 
cially hard  for  them  to  follow.     Just  as  the 


204  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

Pharisees  would  not  eat  with  publicans  and 
sinners,  so  none  of  the  strict  Jews  would  eat 
with  a  Samaritan  or  even  enter  his  house ; 
but  Jesus  told  the  seventy  to  stay  in  Samar- 
itan houses  and  sit  down  to  the  table  and  eat 
with  those  whom  they  had  always  despised. 
It  was  not  an  easy  thing  for  them  to  do,  but 
they  must  have  obeyed  him,  for  they  came 
back  to  him  glad  and  rejoicing,  and  told  him 
how  many  sick  they  had  healed  and  what  evil 
spirits  they  had  cast  out.  Jesus  was  glad 
because  they  were  glad,  and  because  so  many 
people  had  listened  to  their  teaching,  but  he 
was  afraid  they  would  be  proud  of  their  power 
and  forget  that  God  had  given  it  to  them, 
that  they  had  not  gained  it  for  themselves. 
So  he  said,  "  I  will  give  you  even  more  power, 
but  do  not  be  as  glad  that  you  can  do  these 
wonders  as  that  you  belong  to  my  kingdom, 
for  many  great  men,  kings  and  prophets, 
longed  to  see  the  wonders  that  you  see  and 
hear  the  words  that  you  hear,  but  did  not." 
While  the  seventy  were  preaching,  Jesus, 
too,  had  preached.  He  could  not  stay  in 
Samaria,  but  went  on  across  the  Jordan,  for 
once  over  the  river,  he  was  in  Perea,  and 
Perea  did  not  belong  to  Samaria.     Even  in 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     205 

leaving  the  borders  of  the  Samaritan  land  he 
stopped  for  a  deed  of  mercy.  Ten  lepers,  a 
horrible  company,  watched  him  from  afar  off, 
for  they  dared  not  come  near.  "  Unclean, 
unclean  !  "  they  called,  as  they  were  obliged 
to  do,  and  then  they  cried  eagerly,  "  Master, 
Master,  have  mercy  on  us  !  Pity  us  and  heal 
us ! "  "  Go  and  show  yourselves  to  the 
priests,"  said  Jesus,  and  they  were  so  sure 
that  he  would  not  deceive  them  that  they 
turned  from  him  without  a  question  and 
hastened  to  find  the  priests.  As  they  ran, 
they  felt  stronger  at  every  step,  and  they 
knew  that  the  leprosy  had  left  them.  "  We 
are  cured,  we  are  cured  !  "  they  cried,  and  nine 
of  them  hurried  on  faster  than  ever.  One 
said,  "  Oh,  the  rabbi,  the  rabbi !  Praise  God ! " 
and  he  turned  about  to  tell  Jesus  that  he  was 
cured.  He  fell  at  his  feet  and  thanked  him 
over  and  over  again.  He  was  a  Samaritan, 
and  Jesus  was  glad  that  even  from  the  coun- 
try that  had  refused  him  shelter  one  should 
have  come  to  him.  Then  he  was  sad,  for 
he  thought,  "  The  others  were  Jews,  my  own 
people,  and  they  were  ungrateful,"  and  he 
said,  "  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  Where 
are  the  nine  ?     Only  one  has  come  to  give 


206  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

glory  to  God,  and  he  is  a  Samaritan/'  and  as 
the  man  still  bowed  at  his  feet,  for  he  could 
not  thank  him  enough,  Jesus  said,  "  Go  on 
your  way,  and  remember  that  you  were  cured 
because  you  believed  in  God." 

When  Samaria  had  been  left  far  to  the 
north,  Jesus  crossed  the  Jordan  again,  and 
then  he  was  in  Judea,  in  the  district  about 
Jericho.  This  country  was  so  rich  that  its 
palm  groves  and  fig  trees  were  talked  of 
throughout  Palestine.  Flowers  grew  here  that 
grew  nowhere  else  in  the  land.  Grain  gave 
a  larger  crop  and  ripened  much  earlier  than 
anywhere  in  Galilee.  The  city  itself  was 
a  most  interesting  place.  Here  was  a  beau- 
tiful palace  built  by  Archelaus,  the  son  of 
Herod  ;  but  Jericho  was  even  more  famous  for 
the  number  of  priests  and  rabbis  that  made 
their  home  within  its  walls.  There  were  so 
many  of  them,  and  they  had  argued  together 
so  often,  that  they  believed  no  one  from  any 
other  city  could  outwit  them. 

One  of  these  rabbis,  who  was  called  a  law- 
yer because  he  had  spent  so  much  time  study- 
ing the  law  of  Moses,  felt  sure  that  if  he 
could  argue  with  Jesus,  he  could  get  the 
better  of  him.     So  when  he  saw  the  Master 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     207 

and  his  followers  this  rabbi  said,  "  Teacher, 
they  say  that  you  are  telHng  men  how  to  gain 
eternal  life.  Now  what  must  I  do  to  win  it  ?  " 
Jesus  said,  "  What  is  written  in  the  law  ? " 
The  lawyer  answered,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  with 
all  thy  mind ;  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
"  That  is  right,"  said  Jesus.  "  If  you  do 
this,  you  will  have  everlasting  life."  The 
lawyer  was  disappointed,  for  he  had  expected 
Jesus  to  make  some  answer  that  he  could 
find  fault  with  ;  but  he  did  not  mean  to  give 
up,  and  he  asked,  "  And  whom  do  you  call 
my  neighbor  ?  "  Jesus  replied,  "  I  will  tell 
you  a  story  :  A  man  was  once  coming  from 
Jerusalem  to  this  city,  and  he  was  attacked 
by  thieves,  who  robbed  him  and  beat  him, 
and  went  away,  leaving  him  half  dead.  A 
priest  came  down  the  road  in  a  little  while, 
and  he  saw  the  man,  but  he  would  not  go 
near  him  for  fear  of  becoming  unclean,  so 
he  went  by  on  the  other  side.  After  he  had 
gone,  a  Levite  came,  and  he,  too,  saw  the  man, 
but  like  the  priest,  he  passed  by  on  the  other 
side.  Then  came  a  man  from  Samaria,  and 
when  he  saw  the   sufferer,  he  was  sorry  for 


208  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

him.  He  poured  oil  and  wine  on  his  wounds 
to  make  the  pain  less,  and  then  he  bound 
them  up.  This  road  was  not  a  safe  place,  and 
travelers  usually  went  as  fast  as  they  could 
for  fear  of  being  attacked  by  robbers ;  but  in 
spite  of  the  danger,  the  Samaritan  set  the 
wounded  man  on  his  own  ass,  and  walked 
slowly  beside  him  until  they  came  to  an  inn. 
There  he  stayed  all  night  and  cared  for  the 
man.  In  the  morning  he  had  to  go  on  his 
journey,  but  he  gave  money  to  the  keeper  of 
the  inn  and  said,  '  Take  care  of  him,  and  if 
this  will  not  pay  you,  I  will  give  you  more 
when  I  come  back.'  Which  one  of  these  three 
do  you  call  a  neighbor  to  the  man  that  was 
in  need  ?  "  The  lawyer  could  give  but  one 
answer.  He  hated  the  Samaritans  so  that 
he  would  not  speak  their  name,  and  he  said, 
"  The  one  who  was  kind  to  him."  "  Your 
question  is  answered,"  said  Jesus,  and  he 
added  gently,  "  Go  and  do  as  he  did."  The 
lawyer  did  not  care  to  argue  any  other  ques- 
tion with  Jesus,  and  the  Master  went  on  to 
the  village  of  Bethany,  two  miles  from  Jeru- 
salem. 

This  was   a   pretty   village.      The   houses 
were  whitewashed  so  that  they  gleamed  like 


THE   GOOD    SAMARITAN 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     209 

marble.  A  rocky,  barren  mountain  lay  be- 
hind it,  but  all  around  were  green  trees  and 
fields.  One  of  those  houses  was  the  place 
that  Jesus  liked  best  to  visit.  It  was  the 
home  of  Lazarus,  his  sister  Mary,  and  an  older 
sister,  a  widow,  whose  name  was  Martha. 
These  three  were  his  warm  friends,  and  when 
some  one  ran  to  the  door  of  their  house  and 
called,  "  Lazarus,  the  rabbi  from  Galilee  is 
coming,"  they  were  all  delighted.  Lazarus 
hastened  out  to  greet  him  ;  Mary  had  water 
brought  to  bathe  his  feet,  and  threw  open 
the  coolest  room,  so  that  he  might  rest ;  Mar- 
tha, who  was  the  housekeeper,  ran  to  and 
fro,  doing  one  thing  and  then  another  that 
she  fancied  would  make  him  more  comfort- 
able. "  He  shall  see  that  we  are  glad  to  wel- 
come him,"  she  said  to  herself,  and  she  was 
anxious  and  troubled  lest  something  should 
be  neglected  that  would  show  him  honor. 
Jesus  had  said,  "  Whosoever  receives  me  re- 
ceives my  Father."  But  Mary  seemed  to  have 
foro-otten  all  about  these  words.  She  was 
sitting  at  the  feet  of  the  Master,  listening  to 
him,  and  doing  nothing  to  serve  him.  It 
seemed  strange  to  Martha  that  Jesus  should 
allow  Mary  to  be  idle  when  there  was  work 


210  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

to  do  for  God,  and  she  said  to  him,  "  Lord, 
do  you  not  care  that  my  sister  has  left  me  to 
serve  alone  ?  Will  you  not  tell  her  to  come 
and  help  me  ?  "  Then  Jesus  replied,  "  Martha, 
Martha,  you  are  anxious  for  fear  you  will  not 
do  enough  for  me,  .but  it  is  better  to  listen  to 
my  teaching  than  to  be  troubled  about  doing 
many  things  for  me,  and  Mary  has  chosen 
ario-ht." 

Bethany  was  so  near  Jerusalem  that  Jesus 
could  easily  go  up  to  the  city  to  teach.  One 
Sabbath  morning  he  saw  in  a  porch  of  the 
Temple  a  beggar  who  was  born  blind.  The 
Jews  believed  that  if  one  was  born  blind,  his 
parents  were  sinful,  or  else  he  himself  had 
sinned  before  he  was  given  a  life  on  the 
earth,  and  they  asked  Jesus,  "Is  this  man 
blind  because  he  sinned,  or  is  he  punished 
for  the  sins  of  his  parents  ? "  "  Neither," 
answered  Jesus,  "  but  now  I  will  show  you 
in  him  the  power  of  God."  He  spit  on  the 
ground  and  touched  the  man's  eyes  with  the 
wet  earth.  "  Now  go,"  he  said,  "  and  bathe 
in  the  pool  of  Siloam."  The  man  had  heard 
what  Jesus  had  done  for  others,  and  he 
started  eagerly  for  the  pool,  feeling  the  way 
with  his  staff.     When  he  came  back,  he  had 


JESUS   WITH    MARY    AND    MARTHA    AT   BETHANY 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     211 

thrown  away  his  staff,  and  was  leaping  and 
shouting  for  joy.  "  Who  is  that  ?  "  asked 
the  neighbors.  "  Is  n't  he  the  blind  man 
who  used  to  sit  in  the  Temple  porch  and 
beg  ?  "  "  Yes,  it  is  he,"  said  some  ;  but 
others  were  doubtful,  and  said,  "  It  looks  like 
him."  Then  the  man  himself  cried,  "  I  am 
he.  I  am  the  man  who  was  a  blind  beggar 
and  sat  in  the  porch."  "  How  did  you  gain 
your  sight  ? "  they  exclaimed,  and  the  man 
replied,  "  The  one  whom  they  call  Jesus  made 
clay  and  put  it  on  my  eyes,  and  told  me  to 
bathe  in  the  pool  of  Siloam.  I  did,  and  now 
I  can  see."  "  Where  is  he  ?  "  they  asked  ; 
and  he  answered,  "  I  wish  I  coidd  find  him, 
but  I  do  not  know." 

When  the  Pharisees  heard  this,  they  had  a 
great  dispute  among  themselves,  for  some 
said,  ^'  This  man  does  not  come  from  God,  or 
else  he  would  keep  the  Sabbath  ;  "  but  others 
declared,  "  No  man  who  is  not  from  God  could 
do  such  a  miracle."  They  went  to  the  beggar 
and  asked,  "  What  do  you  think  of  him  ? " 
The  council  had  agreed  that  whoever  called 
Jesus  "  the  Christ  "  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue.  That  meant  not  only  that  he 
could  not  enter  the  synagogue,  but  that  none 


212  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

of  his  family  or  friends,  except  his  wife  and 
childi-en,  could  come  within  eight  feet  of  him 
without  sin.  Nevertheless,  the  beggar  was 
not  at  all  afraid,  and  he  said,  "  I  think  he  is  a 
prophet."  Then  the  Pharisees  said,  "  The  fel- 
low never  was  blind.  We  will  ask  his  parents 
about  this  healing."  The  parents  were  not  so 
brave  as  their  son,  and  they  said,  "  He  is  our 
own  son,  and  he  was  born  blind,  but  we  do 
not  know  anything  about  how  he  was  cured." 
The  council  called  the  man  again,  and  said, 
"  The  man  who  healed  you  is  a  sinner.  Praise 
God  for  your  cure."  The  beggar  replied 
firmly,  "  I  do  not  know  anything  about  that, 
but  I  do  know  that  I  used  to  be  blind,  and 
now  I  can  see."  *'  Tell  us  again  how  he  healed 
you,"  they  said.  But  the  beggar  answered,  "  I 
have  told  you  once,  and  you  did  not  believe 
me.  Why  do  you  wish  to  hear  the  story  again  ? 
Do  you  think  of  becoming  his  disciples?  " 

Then  these  men  forgot  that  they  were 
members  of  the  dignified  Jewish  council,  and 
they  began  to  quarrel  with  the  beggar.  "  You 
are  only  a  follower  of  this  wicked  man,"  they 
said,  "  but  we  follow  Moses.  God  sent  Moses, 
but  we  know  nothino;  about  who  sent  this 
man."    The  beggar  was  not  taken  aback,  and 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     213 

he  said,  "  That  is  very  strange.  This  man 
opened  my  eyes,  and  you  say  you  know 
nothing  about  who  sent  him.  God  does  not 
listen  to  sinners,  but  he  does  hear  those  who 
do  his  will.  Since  the  world  began,  no  one 
has  ever  opened  the  ^yes  of  a  man  who  was 
born  blind;  and  if  this  man  were  not  from 
God,  he  could  do  nothing." 

Again  the  grave  councilors  forgot  their  dig- 
nity, and  screamed,  "  You  are  a  sinner  !  You 
were  blind  because  you  were  wicked  !  "  and 
they  put  him  out  of  the  synagogue. 

Jesus  heard  that  the  beggar  had  been  put 
out,  and  searched  for  him  till  he  found  him. 
When  he  had  found  him,  he  asked,  "  Do  you 
believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  "  "  Who  is  he, 
Lord  ?  "  asked  the  beggar.  "  You  have  seen 
him,"  answered  Jesus,  "  and  it  is  he  who  is 
speaking  with  you."  "I  beheve.  Lord,"  cried 
the  beggar  joyfully,  and  he  threw  himself 
at  the  Master's  feet.  Then  said  Jesus  to  some 
of  the  Pharisees  who  had  followed  him  to  hear 
what  he  would  say, "  I  am  come  into  the  world 
that  I  may  make  those  see  who  wish  to  see,  and 
that  I  may  show  some  of  those  who  think  they 
see  that  they  are  really  blind."  ''  So  you  call 
us  blind  ? "  retorted  the  Pharisees,  and  Jesus 


214  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

said,  "  If  you  were  really  blind,  if  you  could 
not  see  what  was  right,  you  would  not  be  to 
blame." 

Ao-ain  when  Jesus  went  to  teach  in  the  Tern- 
pie,  he  told  the  people  a  parable  about  the 
shepherd  and  his  she^.  He  said,  "  No  one 
but  a  thief  tries  to  climb  over  the  wall  of  a 
sheepfold,  for  when  the  shepherd  comes,  he 
goes  to  the  door,  and  the  porter  opens  it  to 
him.  He  calls  his  sheep  by  their  names,  and 
they  are  glad  to  follow  him,  for  they  know 
his  voice.  If  a  stranger  calls  them,  they  are 
afraid,  for  his  voice  is  strange  to  them,  and 
they  run  away." 

The  Pharisees  could  hardly  help  knowing 
what  the  parable  meant,  but  they  declared 
that  it  had  no  meaning.  Then  Jesus  said, 
"  This  is  what  it  means :  The  thieves  are 
those  who  have  taught  the  people  wrong.  The 
fold  is  hke  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  for  just 
as  the  sheep  are  in  the  fold,  so  are  God's  cliil- 
dren  safe  in  his  kingdom.  I  am  like  the  door 
to  the  fold,  for  as  the  sheep  go  through  the 
door,  so  do  men  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
by  me  and  my  words.  Again,  I  am  like  the 
shepherd,  for  I  will  give  my  life  for  my  fol- 
lowers, just  as  the  good  shepherd  will  give  his 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  SAMARITANS     215 

life  for  bis  sheep,  while  a  servant,  who  cares 
nothing  for  them,  will  run  if  he  sees  a  wolf 
coming."  Then  Jesus  said  one  thing  more : 
"  I  have  other  sheep  that  are  not  of  this  fold. 
I  must  call  them,  too,  and  then  there  shall  be 
only  one  flock  and  one  shepherd."  He  meant 
that  his  followers  would  come  from  other  na- 
tions as  well  as  from  the  Jews ;  but  if  his  hear- 
ers had  really  understood  his  words,  even  some 
of  his  friends  would  have  thought  it  a  very 
strano-e  thino;  for  their  Christ  to  seek  for 
followers  who  were  not  Israelites.  As  it  was, 
the  crowd  did  not  know  what  to  think  of  him. 
Some  said,  "  Why  do  you  listen  to  him  ?  He 
has  a  devil."  Others  said,  "  A  man  with  a 
devil  does  not  talk  like  that,  and  a  devil  can- 
not open  the  eyes  of  a  man  who  was  born 
bhnd." 


rtJ~;^ 


^V^: 


XIV 

ARE    YOU    THE    CHRIST? 

The  Pharisees  were  puzzled.  Jesus  did  not 
act  at  all  as  they  had  expected  the  Christ  to 
act,  but  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  doing 
deeds  that  no  man  had  ever  done  before. 
They  were  afraid  that  he  might  be  only  try- 
ing the  people  to  see  who  would  receive  him. 
Then  he  would  raise  an  army  and  conquer  the 
world.  Those  who  had  been  his  friends  would 
have  the  highest  place  in  his  kingdom,  and 
those  who  had  opposed  him  would  be  treated 
as  his  enemies.  They  determined  to  try  to 
make  him  tell  them  whether  he  was  the  Christ 
or  not.  So  as  he  was  walking  in  a  porch  of 
the  Temple,  they  went  to  him,  and  said,  "  How 
much  longer  do  you  mean  to  keep  us  waiting? 
If  you  really  are  the  Christ,  say  so  plainly." 
Jesus  answered,  "  I  have  told  you  already,  but 
you  do  not  beheve  me.  The  wonders  that  I 
do  prove  that  I  am  from  God,  but  you  do 
not  listen  to  me.     If  you  were  my  disciples,  if 


220  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

you  wished  to  learn  of  me,  you  would  hear  my 
voice,  and  I  would  give  you  eternal  life.  Those 
who  follow  me  follow  my  Father  also,  for  he 
is  ever  with  me.     My  Father  and  I  are  one." 

Then  the  Pharisees  were  angry,  and  some 
of  their  friends  in  the  crowd  caught  up  stones 
to  throw  at  Jesus.  He  looked  straight  into 
the  faces  of  the  furious  mob  and  said,  "  By 
my  Father's  power  I  have  healed  many  that 
were  suffering.  For  which  of  those  deeds  do 
you  wish  to  stone  me?  "  The  crowd  shouted, 
"You  blasphemed  !  you  said  you  were  God  !  " 
"  I  am  the  Son  of  God,"  declared  Jesus  qui- 
etly, "  and  I  do  the  works  of  my  Father.  You 
have  seen  my  works,  and  even  if  you  do  not 
believe  what  I  say,  believe  them,  and  know 
that  my  Father  is  in  me  and  I  in  him."  They 
screamed,  "  Take  him,  take  him !  He  is  a  blas- 
phemer ! "  but  Jesus  stepped  back  and  was 
lost  to  sight  among  the  people. 

He  left  Jerusalem  for  a  time  and  went  again 
to  the  wilderness,  to  the  place  where  John  had 
taught  and  baptized.  Many  who  had  listened 
to  John  now  went  to  hear  the  great  rabbi. 
"  John  did  not  show  us  any  miracles,"  they 
said,  "  but  every  word  that  he  said  about  this 
man  was  true,"  and  many  believed  on  Jesus. 


ARE  YOU  THE  CHRIST?  221 

One  day  when  he  was  a  Httle  apart  from 
his  disciples,  praying,  they  said,  "John  told 
his  disciples  what  words  to  use  when  they 
prayed.  Let  us  ask  the  Master  to  teach  us  a 
prayer."  He  had  given  them  the  Lord's 
prayer  in  one  of  his  earliest  sermons,  but  sev- 
eral of  the  disciples  had  not  been  with  him 
then,  and  even  those  who  heard  it  may  have 
thought  that  he  woidd  some  day  teach  them 
a  longer  prayer  than  that,  for  it  was  so  unlike 
the  prayers  of  the  rabbis.  This  was  simple, 
and  sounded  as  if  a  man  was  speaking  to  his 
father;  but  the  prayers  of  the  rabbis  were 
formal  and  very  carefully  arranged.  Some 
of  them  were  written  in  many  parts,  the  first 
part  beginning  with  A,  the  second  with  B, 
and  so  on.  The  disciples  expected  some  form 
of  prayer  like  that,  but  Jesus  gave  them  the 
Lord's  prayer  again  in  nearly  the  same  words 
that  he  had  used  before. 

Then  he  said,  "  I  will  tell  you  a  parable 
about  prayer.  There  was  once  a  man  who 
went  to  his  friend's  door  at  midnight  and 
called,  ^My  friend,  my  friend,  come  down  to 
me  and  lend  me  three  loaves  of  bread.  A 
friend  of  mine  is  on  a  journey,  and  has  come 
to  me.     He  is  hungry,  and  I  have  no  food  in 


222  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

my  house.'  But  the  friend  replied,  ^  Do  not 
disturb  us.  It  is  late ;  the  door  is  fastened. 
I  cannot  get  up  to  give  you  bread.'  The  man 
still  begged,  '  Come  down  and  help  me.'  ^  My 
children  are  asleep,'  said  the  friend.  ^  I  cannot 
get  up  and  wake  them.'  The  man  did  not  go 
away,  but  cried,  '  Come  down,  come  down.' 
At  last  the  friend  came  down  and  gave  him 
the  bread." 

Jesus  said,  "  My  Father  is  not  like  him. 
That  friend  gave  because  the  one  who  came  to 
him  begged  and  pleaded  for  a  gift ;  but  my 
Father  is  always  glad  to  give  good  things, 
and  he  will  give  to  every  one  that  asks  him. 
You  know  that  if  a  boy  says,  ^  Father,  give  me 
a  piece  of  bread,'  his  father  will  not  give  him 
a  stone ;  if  the  boy  says,  *  Give  me  a  fish,'  his 
father  will  not  give  him  a  serpent ;  and  if  he 
says,  ^Give  me  an  egg/  his  father  will  not 
give  him  a  scorpion.  No  father  would  be 
so  cruel ;  and  God  is  much  more  ready  than 
any  father  on  earth  to  give  his  Holy  Spirit 
to  those  who  ask  him." 

While  Jesus  was  speaking,  one  of  the  Phari- 
sees said  to  himself,  "  I  mean  to  ask  this 
rabbi  to  dinner,  and  see  whether  it  is  true 
that  he  does  not  purify  his  hands  before  he 


ARE  YOU  THE  CHRIST?  223 

eats."  He  went  to  Jesus  and  said,  "  Rabbi, 
will  you  eat  a  meal  with  me  ?  "  "I  will," 
Jesus  answered.  He  went  into  the  Pharisee's 
house  and  took  his  place  at  the  table.  Very- 
soon  the  Pharisee  whispered  to  other  Pharisees 
who  were  there,  "  It  is  true,  he  does  not  purify 
his  hands  ;  he  does  not  keep  the  law."  Jesus 
said  to  them,  "  0  Pharisees,  you  tax  mint  and 
rue  and  every  vegetable  of  the  garden,  but 
you  care  nothing  for  the  love  of  God.  You 
like  to  sit  in  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues 
and  to  have  men  bow  down  before  you  seven 
times  when  they  meet  you  in  the  marketplace. 
You  wish  to  seem  good,  not  to  be  good." 

The  Pharisees  were  silenced  for  once,  but 
several  lawyers  were  present,  and  one  of  them 
said,  "  Rabbi,  when  you  blame  the  Pharisees, 
you  are  blaming  us  too,  who  are  rabbis  and 
teachers  of  the  people."  "  Yes,"  answered 
Jesus,  "  and  sorrow  will  surely  come  to  you,  for 
it  is  you  who  have  made  all  these  foolish  rules 
that  are  such  a  burden  to  the  people.  Your 
fathers  killed  the  prophets  long  ago.  You  do 
not  follow  the  teachings  of  these  prophets,  but 
you  build  tombs  to  them  to  make  the  people 
think  you  honor  them.  You  are  as  much  to 
blame  as  those  who  killed  them." 


224  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

After  tliis  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  watched 
Jesus  even  more  closely,  and  tried  to  make 
him  say  things  that  they  could  report  to  the 
council.  He  did  not  fear  these  people,  but 
he  was  always  afraid  his  disciples  would  be 
timid,  and  he  said  to  them  again,  "  These 
Pharisees  are  hypocrites.  See  that  you  are 
not  hke  them.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  them,  for 
the  most  that  they  can  do  is  to  kill.  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  anything  but  doing  wrong.  My 
Father  will  be  with  you  and  help  you.  Your 
enemies  will  bring  you  before  the  synagogues 
and  the  rulers  and  the  council,  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  tell  you  what  to  say  to  them." 

There  was  a  crowd  about  Jesus,  all  trying 
so  hard  to  hear  what  he  said  that  they  tram- 
pled on  one  another.  Among  them  was  a 
man  who  had  something  to  ask  the  rabbi 
that  he  thought  was  very  important.  He  and 
his  brother  had  quarreled  about  the  money 
left  by  their  father,  and  so  many  of  the  people 
looked  upon  Jesus  as  a  great  teacher  that  the 
man  thought  a  word  from  him  would  be  of 
much  value.  He  forced  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  and  stood  before  Jesus,  hot  and  breath- 
less. "  Rabbi,"  he  said,  "  my  brother  has 
seized  all  that  my  father  left  us.     Make  him 


ARE  YOU  THE  CHRIST?  225 

divide  it  with  me."  Jesus  said,  "  That  is  not 
my  work.  I  was  not  sent  here  to  judge  quar- 
rels or  to  divide  property." 

Many  of  the  hearers  knew  about  this  quar- 
rel, and  sided  with  one  brother  or  the  other. 
It  was  a  good  time  to  talk  about  money,  and 
Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Do  not  wish  for  money 
too  eagerly.  A  man  may  be  happy  and  good 
without  it.  Money  will  not  give  him  long  life. 
I  will  tell  you  a  story  about  a  man  who  had 
much  wealth.  His  harvest  was  so  great  that 
his  barns  would  not  hold  it.  He  was  very 
happy,  and  said  to  himself,  '  I  will  tear  down 
those  small  barns  and  build  larger  ones.  I 
will  put  my  harvest  in  them  and  store  up  my 
property  where  it  will  be  safe.  Then  I  will 
enjoy  myself.  I  will  work  no  more,  but  I  will 
eat  and  drink  and  be  merry.'  So  thought 
the  rich  man  ;  but  that  very  day  God  said, 
*  Foolish  man,  to-night  you  will  die.  Who 
will  have  all  your  treasures  then  ? '  So  it  is 
with  a  man  who  tries  to  get  money  only  to 
enjoy  himself,  and  not  to  use  it  to  help  on  the 
work  of  God." 

Even  when  Jesus  was  talking  to  a  multi- 
tude, he  was  always  thinking  of  his  disciples, 
and  of  what  he  could  say  to  them  that  would 


226  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

help  them  when  he  was  gone,  and  now  he 
turned  to  them  and  said,  "  Do  not  be  troubled 
for  fear  you  will  not  have  food  and  clothes. 
If  you  are  working  for  God,  he  will  see  that 
you  have  these  things.  Give  generously  to 
the  people  who  need  help,  and  even  if  you 
have  little  money  on  earth,  you  will  have  a 
great  treasure  in  heaven,  and  no  thief  can 
steal  that  treasure.  Besides,  a  man  is  always 
thinking  about  the  place  where  his  treasure  is, 
and  the  more  treasure  you  have  in  heaven,  the 
more  you  will  think  of  heaven,  and  the  more 
you  will  love  the  Father.  Do  not  think, 
'  By  and  by  I  can  begin  to  lay  up  treasure  in 
heaven.'  When  a  master  goes  to  a  wedding 
feast,  he  says  to  his  servants,  ^  Be  ready  to 
open  the  door  when  I  come  back.'  If  he 
finds  them  watching,  he  will  be  pleased  with 
them  and  will  give  them  a  feast,  and  he  him- 
self will  serve  them.  They  do  not  know  when 
he  will  come,  neither  do  you  know  when  your 
life  will  end.  The  owner  of  a  house  cannot 
tell  when  a  thief  will  break  in  ;  he  must  be 
always  on  the  watch." 

Jesus  paused  for  a  moment,  and  Peter  asked, 
*'  Master,  is  this  parable  meant  for  us,  or  for 
all  the  people  ?  "     Jesus  answered  by  giving 


ARE  YOU  THE  CHRIST?  227 

him  another  one.  "  When  the  owner  of  a 
house  goes  away,  he  says  to  his  steward, '  I  am 
going  on  a  journey,  and  I  leave  my  house  in 
your  care.  Give  my  servants  their  food  and 
be  kind  to  them.'  If  the  steward  has  been 
faithful,  the  owner  will  say  when  he  returns, 
*  You  have  taken  good  care  of  my  house,  and 
now  I  will  give  you  the  care  of  all  my  pro- 
perty.' But  if  after  a  little  while  the  steward 
says  to  himself,  ^  My  master  is  gone  a  long 
time,  and  perhaps  he  will  never  come  back,'  and 
then  if  the  steward  beats  the  servants  and  will 
not  give  them  food,  while  he  himself  carouses 
with  feasting  and  drunkenness,  the  master  will 
return  just  when  he  expects  him  least,  and 
will  say,  '  You  have  been  unfaithful,  and  you 
shall  be  scourged.'  This  is  my  answer,  Peter  : 
A  servant  who  knows  what  he  ought  to  do 
and  does  not  obey  shall  be  beaten  with  many 
blows,  but  one  who  disobeys  because  he  does 
not  fully  understand  shall  be  beaten  with  few 
blows.  I  have  taught  you  twelve  more  than 
I  have  taught  others,  and  therefore  if  you  do 
wrong,  you  will  be  more  to  blame  than  they, 
because  you  have  had  a  better  chance  to  know 
what  is  right." 

Then  he  said  to  the  multitude,  "  When  you 


228  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

see  a  cloud  rising  in  the  west,  you  say,  *  There 
will  be  a  shower ; '  and  when  the  south  wind 
blows,  you  say,  ^  It  will  be  a  hot  day.'  How 
is  it  that  you  understand  the  clouds  and  the 
wind,  but  do  not  understand  my  words  ?  If 
you  owe  money  to  a  man  and  he  is  taking  you 
to  the  judge,  you  try  to  settle  on  the  way,  lest 
you  shall  be  put  into  prison  and  kept  there 
till  you  have  paid  the  last  penny.  Why  can 
you  not  understand  that  I  am  calling  upon 
you  to  repent  and  give  up  your  sins,  that  you 
may  not  be  punished  for  wrongdoing  ?  " 

"  Rabbi,"  said  one,  "  Pilate  took  money 
from  the  Temple  to  use  in  building,  and  when 
the  people  cried  out  against  him,  he  put  them 
to  death.  He  even  killed  some  of  the  Gali- 
leans when  they  were  sacrificing  at  the  altar. 
So  you  would  say  they  were  punished  because 
they  were  doing  wrong  ?  "  Every  one  lis- 
tened then.  If  Jesus  said  a  word  against  the 
Galileans  who  died  because  they  had  tried  to 
keep  the  governor  from  robbing  the  Temple, 
there  would  be  an  uproar  against  him.  If  he 
said  a  word  against  the  Roman  governor,  his 
enemies  would  accuse  him  of  rebellion.  Jesus 
replied,  "  These  Galileans  were  not  slain  be- 
cause they  were  more  wicked  than  the  other 


ARE   YOU  THE  CHRIST?  229 

Galileans,  and  when  the  tower  m  Siloam  fell  a 
little  while  ago,  the  eighteen  men  who  were 
killed  did  not  suffer  because  they  were  worse 
than  others ;  but  I  am  talking  of  you,  not  of 
them,  and  I  tell  you  that  unless  you  repent, 
you  will  be  punished.  You  are  like  a  fig  tree 
that  for  many  years  had  borne  no  fruit.  Its 
owner  said,  '  Cut  it  down,  it  is  only  in  the 
way ; '  but  his  vinedresser  replied,  ^  Master, 
let  us  ti-y  it  one  more  year.  I  will  dig  about 
it  and  care  for  it,  and  perhaps  it  will  bear 
fruit.  If  not,  we  will  cut  it  down.'  You 
deserve  punishment,  for  you  do  evil,  but  my 
Father  has  sent  me  to  tell  you  again  to  re- 
pent, and  to  give  you  one  more  chance  to 
learn  to  do  what  is  right." 


X^trr  to  ^xv^ 


XV 

HOW    TO    GIVE    A    FEAST 

Jesus  journeyed  on  from  village  to  village. 
He  longed  to  speak  to  as  many  people  as  he 
could,  for  he  knew  that  only  a  little  time  was 
left  before  his  life  on  earth  would  be  ended. 
His  enemies  watched  him  still  more  closely, 
for  they  were  more  and  more  afraid,  as  they 
saw  how  many  of  the  people  believed  in  him. 
One  Sabbath  morning  a  woman  came  before 
him,  who  was  so  bent  with  disease  that  for 
eighteen  years  she  had  not  been  able  to  stand 
straight.  Jesus  healed  her,  and  in  a  moment 
she  stood  up  and  began  to  praise  God  that 
she  was  well.  The  ruler  of  the  synagogue 
called  out  to  the  people  that  had  seen  the 
healino-,  "  Men  ouo^ht  to  do  their  work  in  six 
days,  not  on  the  Sabbath."  It  was  the  same 
old  cry,  and  Jesus  said,  "  You  are  hypocrites. 
Every  one  of  you  who  owns  an  ox  or  an  ass 
went  this  morning  and  untied  him  and  led 


234  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

him  away  to  water.  This  woman,  not  an 
ox  or  an  ass,  but  a  daughter  of  Abraham, 
had  been  bound  by  Satan  for  eighteen  years. 
Ougfht  she  not  to  have  been  set  free  on 
the  Sabbath  ?  "  The  crowd  shouted,  "  Good, 
good !  "  and  the  ruler  slunk  back  into  the 
synagogue,  while  Jesus  went  on  teaching  the 
people. 

The  rephes  of  Jesus  were  so  keen  and  so 
true  that  the  Pharisees  began  to  be  afraid  to 
argue  with  him.  The  next  time  he  was  going 
to  heal  a  man  on  the  Sabbath,  he  asked  the 
lawyers  and  Pharisees,  "  Is  this  a  right  thing 
to  do  or  not  ?  "  and  they  did  not  venture  to 
answer,  for  they  knew  that  he  would  say 
something  to  which  they  could  not  reply,  and 
then  the  people  would  laugh  at  them.  When 
he  asked  this  question  he  was  in  the  house  of 
a  rich  Pharisee,  who  was  giving  a  great  supper. 
At  a  feast  there  were  usually  three  couches 
arranged  on  three  sides  of  the  table,  for  the 
Jews  followed  the  Roman  custom  of  half  re- 
clining as  they  ate,  leaning  upon  the  left 
elbow.  The  crowd  that  were  always  coming 
and  going  never  failed  to  notice  how  the 
guests  were  placed,  and  they  would  say,  "  That 
one  is  a  great  man,  for  he  has  the  chief  seat." 


HOW  TO  GIVE   A  FEAST  235 

Jesus  noticed  how  the  rabbis  especially  all 
tried  to  get  the  best  places,  and  he  said, 
"  When  you  are  asked  to  a  feast,  do  not  try 
to  get  the  chief  seat,  for  a  man  may  come 
who  is  to  be  honored  more  than  you,  and 
when  the  host  asks  you  to  move,  you  will  be 
ashamed.  It  is  better  to  take  the  lowest  seat 
of  all,  and  then  if  the  host  says,  *  Friend, 
come  up  higher,'  you  will  be  honored  before 
them  all.  Whoever  tries  to  make  others  honor 
him  shall  be  humbled,  and  whoever  is  humble 
shall  be  honored." 

The  host  must  have  been  pleased  with  these 
words,  for  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  arrange 
the  seats  so  that  all  would  be  satisfied.  Jesus 
had  a  word  for  him,  too.  "  You  give  a  feast," 
he  said,  "  and  your  friends  and  kinsmen  and 
rich  neighbors  enjoy  it,  and  then  when  they 
make  a  feast,  they  invite  you,  and  you  are 
glad ;  but  I  will  tell  you  how  to  get  an  even 
greater  reward  for  your  kindness.  When 
you  make  a  feast  again,  invite  those  who  are 
poor,  the  blind,  the  maimed,  and  the  lame, 
who  must  beg  because  they  cannot  work. 
They  will  not  be  able  to  make  a  feast  for  you, 
like  your  rich  neighbors,  and  so  God  will  give 
you  a  reward." 


236  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

One  of  the  guests  who  had  been  listening 
closely  said,  "  Happy  is  the  man  whom  God 
shall  feast."  "  That  is  true,"  replied  Jesus, 
"  and  I  will  tell  you  a  parable.  A  rich  man 
made  a  great  supper  and  invited  many  people. 
When  it  was  ready,  he  sent  his  servants  to 
bring  them  to  his  house,  but  each  preferred 
to  do  something  else.  ^  I  cannot  come,'  said 
one,  ^  for  I  have  just  bought  some  land,  and 
I  must  go  and  look  at  it.'  '  Neither  can  I,' 
said  another.  ^  Ask  your  master  to  excuse 
me,  for  I  have  just  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  I  must  go  to  try  them.'  ^1  surely  can- 
not come,'  declared  a  third  man,  '  for  I  have 
just  married  a  wife,  and  I  must  be  at  my  own 
feast.'  The  master  of  the  house  had  invited 
these  people  long  before,  and  they  had  all 
accepted  his  invitation,  so  he  was  indignant, 
and  he  said  to  his  servant,  '  They  have  refused 
to  come,  and  now  they  shall  have  no  share 
in  my  feast ;  but  go  out  into  the  streets  and 
alleys  of  the  city  and  bring  in  the  poor  and 
the  lame  and  the  maimed  and  the  bhnd.'  The 
servant  obeyed,  and  then  he  said  to  his  mas- 
ter, '  I  have  brought  in  those  that  are  in  the 
streets  and  alleys,  and  there  is  room  even 
now.'     *  Then  go  out  into  the  country,'  said 


HOW  TO  GIVE  A  FEAST  237 

his  master  ;  *  go  to  the  roads  and  the  lanes 
and  bring  in  any  poor  people  that  you  find. 
My  feast  shall  be  for  them,  and  not  for  those 
who  were  first  invited.'  " 

In  those  days  Jesus  told  very  many  parables. 
He  knew  that  people  could  hardly  help  re- 
membering the  stories,  and  that  after  a  while 
many  would  understand  what  they  meant. 
The  next  three  that  he  told  were  given  espe- 
cially to  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  They  had 
just  made  the  same  old  complaint,  "  This  man 
eats  with  publicans  and  sinners."  Jesus  told 
them  again  the  story  of  the  sheep  that  was  lost 
and  that  the  shepherd  went  out  on  the  moun- 
tain to  find.  Then  he  told  another  with  nearly 
the  same  meaning.  "  There  was  once  a  wo- 
man," he  said,  "  who  had  only  ten  pieces  of 
money.  She  lost  one  of  them,  and  she  was 
very  sorry.  She  lighted  a  lamp  and  searched 
every  part  of  the  house,  but  she  could  not 
find  it.  Then  she  said,  ^  I  will  sweep  my 
house  through,  and  perhaps  I  can  find  the 
money.'  So  she  swept  the  house,  and  there 
in  a  dark  corner  was  the  little  piece  of  silver. 
She  was  so  happy  that  she  could  not  keep  her 
pleasure  to  herself,  and  she  ran  out  of  the 
door  and  called  to  her  friends  and  neighbors, 


238  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

'  Are  you  not  glad  ?  I  have  found  the  piece 
of  money  that  I  lost.'  That  is  the  way  it  is 
in  heaven,"  said  Jesus,  "  for  the  angels  of 
God  rejoice  whenever  any  one  who  has  sinned 
is  sorry  for  his  sins." 

The  next  parable  was  about  two  brothers. 
Jesus  said :  "  There  were  once  two  brothers. 
The  younger  was  tired  of  living  at  home,  and 
he  said  to  his  father,  '■  Some  day  one  third  of 
the  money  that  you  have  will  be  mine.  Give 
it  to  me  now.'  The  father  was  grieved,  but 
he  gave  it  to  him  ;  and  while  the  young  man 
was  hastening  away  to  a  far  country,  where  he 
could  be  free  to  do  as  he  chose,  the  father  sat 
alone  and  wept  for  his  son,  who  cared  so  little 
for  him  that  he  was  glad  to  go  away  from 
him.  The  son  wasted  his  money  in  the  far 
country,  and  before  long  it  was  gone.  There 
was  a  famine  and  he  was  in  want.  He  went 
to  one  of  the  rich  men  of  that  land  and  said, 
*  Will  you  let  me  work  for  you  so  that  I  may 
have  food  ? '  ^  Yes,'  answered  the  man,  '■  you 
may  go  out  into  the  field  g,nd  feed  my  swine.' 
The  famine  became  so  bad  that  the  young 
man  would  have  been  glad  to  eat  the  pods 
that  were  usually  given  to  swine,  but  the 
owner  had  none  even  for  them.     Then  the 


HOW  TO  GIVE  A  FEAST  239 

young  man  said  to  himself,  ^  My  father's  ser- 
vants have  bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  I 
am  dying  with  hunger.  I  will  go  to  my 
father  and  ask  if  I  may  work  for  him.  I  have 
been  wicked,  and  I  am  not  fit  to  be  called 
his  son,  but  I  will  beg  him  to  let  me  be 
his  servant.' 

"  The  father  was  still  grieving  that  his 
younger  son  had  left  him,  when  afar  off  down 
the  road  he  saw  a  young  man  coming  toward 
him.  He  was  barefooted,  his  clothes  were 
dusty  and  torn,  and  his  head  was  bowed  with 
shame ;  but  the  father  knew  him  and  has- 
tened out  of  the  house  and  ran  to  meet  him. 
The  young  man  began, '  Father,  I  am  sorry '  — 
but  that  was  all  he  could  say,  for  the  father 
threw  his  arms  around  his  neck  and  kissed 
him.  Then  the  son  said,  '  I  have  done  wrong, 
and  I  am  not  fit  to  be  called  your  child ;  '  but 
the  father  broke  in  upon  him  and  called  to 
his  servants,  '  Bring  out  the  best  robe  in  the 
house  and  put  it  on  him  ;  put  a  ring  on  his 
finger  and  shoes  on  his  feet ;  bring  up  the 
fatted  calf  and  kill  it.  To-day  shall  be  a  feast 
day,  for  I  thought  my  son  was  dead,  and  he 
is  alive.  I  thought  he  was  lost  to  me,  and  he 
is  found.' 


240  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

"  The  elder  son  was  out  in  the  field,  and 
when  he  came  near  the  house,  he  heard  music 
and  dancing.  '  What  is  this  ?  '  he  asked  a 
servant.  *  It  is  not  a  feast  day.'  The  servant 
answered,  '  Your  father  bade  us  keep  holiday 
and  be  merry,  and  he  has  killed  the  fatted 
calf  that  we  may  feast,  because  your  brother 
has  come  home  again.'  The  elder  son  was 
angry  and  said,  *  I  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  this  feasting,'  and  he  would  not  go  into 
the  house.  When  the  father  heard  that  his 
son  had  come,  he  went  out  and  cried  joyfully, 
'  Son,  come  in  and  rejoice  with  us,  for  your 
brother  is  at  home  again.'  But  his  son  an- 
swered, '  I  have  served  you  for  many  years.  I 
have  always  obeyed  you,  and  still  you  never 
gave  me  even  a  kid,  that  I  might  have  a  feast 
with  my  friends.  This  son  of  yours  went  away 
from  you  and  wasted  your  money  in  a  heathen 
country,  but  as  soon  as  he  came,  you  killed 
the  fatted  calf  for  him.'  Then  the  old  man 
said,  '  Son,  you  are  always  with  me,  and  all 
that  I  have  will  be  yours ;  but  how  could  I 
help  being  glad  and  rejoicing  ?  I  thought 
your  brother  was  lost,  and  he  is  found  ;  I 
thought  he  was  dead,  and  he  is  alive.' " 

By  this  parable  Jesus  taught  them  that  his 


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RETURN   OF  THE    PRODIGAL   SON 


■.  ■    i- 


HOW  TO  GIVE  A  FEAST  241 

Father  was  glad  whenever  one  repented  who 
had  done  wrong,  and  that  they,  too,  ought 
to  be  glad,  and  not  despise  one  whom  they 
did  not  think  as  good  as  they.  Perhaps  he 
was  afraid  they  would  not  notice  that  when 
the  younger  son  began  to  be  sorry  for  what 
he  had  done,  he  did  not  try  to  please  his  evil 
companions  part  of  the  time  and  his  father 
the  other  part,  but  gave  them  up  entirely  and 
went  back  to  his  father.  At  any  rate,  the 
next  parable  that  he  told  was  about  serving 
two  masters.  "  There  was  once  a  rich  man," 
he  said,  "  who  had  a  steward.  He  found  that 
his  servant  was  dishonest,  and  he  made  up 
his  mind  to  send  him  away,  so  he  said,  '  Give 
me  your  accounts,  for  I  shall  keep  you  no 
longer  as  my  steward.'  The  steward  went 
away  in  great  trouble.  '  What  shall  I  do  ?  ' 
he  said  to  himself.  ^  I  am  not  used  to  digging, 
and  I  am  ashamed  to  beg.  How  shall  I  live  ? ' 
Then  he  thought,  '  If  I  can  do  a  favor  to  my 
lord's  debtors,  when  I  am  put  out  of  my 
stewardship  they  will  take  care  of  me  and 
give  me  a  home  in  their  houses.'  This  was 
what  he  did  :  He  sent  to  one  of  the  debtors 
and  asked,  '  How  much  is  it  that  you  owe  my 
lord?'     And  the  man  replied,  *  One  hundred 


242  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

measures  of  oil.'  *Here  is  your  note,'  said 
the  steward.  ^  Sit  down  here  and  write  fifty.' 
He  said  to  another,  '  What  do  you  owe  to  my 
lord  ?  '  ^  One  hundred  measures  of  wheat.' 
'■  Take  your  note,'  said  the  steward,  ^  and 
write  eighty.'  It  all  came  to  pass  as  the 
steward  had  expected,  for  when  he  was  put 
out  of  the  stewardship,  the  man  who  had  owed 
the  hundred  measures  of  oil  said,  '  He  per- 
suaded his  lord  to  make  my  oil  fifty  measures 
instead  of  one  hundred.  He  is  a  kind  man, 
and  I  will  ask  him  to  come  to  my  house.* 
The  other  debtors  said  the  same,  and  the  un- 
just steward  was  welcomed  into  their  homes. 
When  his  lord  heard  long  afterwards  what  he 
had  done,  he  said, '  The  steward  is  a  shrewd 
man,  for  he  has  provided  a  home  for  himself.' 
Now  this  steward  made  friends  by  using 
money  wrongfully,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  they 
received  him  into  their  homes ;  but  I  want 
you  who  are  my  disciples  to  make  friends  by 
using  money  well,  so  that  you  will  be  wel- 
comed into  the  home  of  my  Father  in  heaven. 
A  man  who  is  faithful  in  a  very  little  will  be 
faithful  in  a  great  deal.  If  you  are  faithful 
in  using  the  money  given  to  you  on  earth, 
God  will  give  you  trust  in  him  and  knowledge 


HOW  TO  GIVE   A  FEAST  243 

of  him.  But  you  cannot  like  to  use  money 
for  yourselves  alone  and  love  God  at  the  same 
time.     No  one  can  serve  two  masters." 

The  Pharisees  scoffed  at  him.  "  He  is  only 
a  dreamer,"  they  said.  "  What  does  he  know 
about  money  ?  Money  is  to  be  used  to  buy 
what  one  wants.  The  way  to  enter  heaven  is 
to  keep  the  law."  But  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
"  You  pretend  to  be  very  good,  but  God 
knows  your  hearts,  and  he  can  see  how  wicked 
they  are.  You  do  not  even  follow  the  law  as 
Moses  gave  it  to  you,  for  you  have  changed 
it  and  made  many  new  laws.  I  will  tell  you 
a  parable  of  how  it  might  be  with  one  who 
wished  to  spend  his  money  only  to  please  him- 
self :  There  was  once  a  rich  man  who  cared 
for  nothing  but  to  live  in  a  beautiful  house, 
to  wear  costly  purple  cloth  and  the  finest  of 
linen,  and  to  feast  every  day  on  the  most 
expensive  food.  At  his  gate  a  beggar  was 
laid,  for  he  hoped  that  the  rich  man  and  his 
guests  would  give  to  him.  He  wished  that  he 
could  have  even  the  fragments  of  food  that 
fell  from  the  table  of  feasting  ;  but  the  rich 
man  was  too  busy  entertaining  his  friends  and 
enjoying  himself  to  think  of  a  beggar. 

"  After  a  while  the  beggar  died.     The  rich 


244  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

man  died  also,  and  as  he  looked  afar  off  he 
saw  Abraham  and  the  beggar.  '  0  Father 
Abraham/  he  cried,  '  have  mercy  upon  me, 
and  send  him  to  bring  me  but  a  single  drojD 
of  water.'  Then  Abraham  said,  '  Son,  remem- 
ber that  in  your  lifetime  jou  had  all  that  you 
wished,  and  that  you  suffer  now  because  you 
used  your  wealth  for  yourself  alone.  Besides 
that,  we  cannot  go  to  you  any  more  than  you 
can  come  to  us,  for  there  is  a  great  gulf  be- 
tween us.'  '  But  my  brothers.  Father  Abra- 
ham,' he  pleaded,  '  will  you  not  send  him  to 
teach  them  so  that  they  may  never  come  to 
this  place  of  suffering  ?  '  *  They  have  Moses 
and  the  prophets,'  said  Abraham.  '  Let  them 
hear  them.'  '  Oh,  but.  Father  Abraham,'  he 
begged,  Hhey  would  repent  if  one  went  to 
them  from  the  dead.'  ^  No,'  said  Abraham, 
*  if  they  will  not  hear  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
they  would  not  repent  even  if  one  rose  from 
the  dead  to  teach  them.'  " 


XVI 

SORROW    IN   BETHANY 

Most  of  the  parables  were  told  in  Perea. 
"  Perea  "  means  "  the  land  on  the  other  side," 
and  this  country  was  so  named  because  it  was 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan,  while  Judea 
was  on  the  western.  It  was  to  Perea  that 
Jesus  had  gone  when  the  Samaritans  refused 
to  receive  him.  The  land  was  ruled  by  Anti- 
pas,  but  so  many  of  this  king's  subjects  had 
been  enraged  by  his  murder  of  John  the  bap- 
tizer  that  there  was  little  danger  of  his  daring 
to  attempt  to  harm  Jesus.  The  Master  was 
preaching  about  twenty  miles  from  Bethany 
when  a  messenger  came  to  him  to  say,  "  Mar- 
tha and  Mary  bade  us  say  to  you,  *  He  whom 
you  love  is  sick.' "  They  had  thought  that 
this  would  be  enough  to  bring  him,  and  Jesus 
longed  to  go  to  them  without  a  moment's 
delay.  He  waited  only  because  he  wanted  to 
do  for  them  a  deed  so  great  that  they  could 


24S  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

never  doubt  him,  and  that  many  who  saw  it 
would  believe  in  him.  He  did  not  say  what 
he  would  do,  but  he  sent  them  a  message  of 
comfort,  "  This  sickness  will  not  end  in  death, 
but  it  will  show  God's  glory  and  that  of  his 
Son."  "  He  was  never  afraid  before,"  said 
his  disciples  in  wonder,  "  but  he  knows  he 
is  not  safe  in  Judea,  and  that  must  be  why 
he  does  not  go  to  Lazarus."  Two  days  later 
Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Now  we  will  go  to  Judea 
again."  "  0  Master,"  they  cried,  "  do  not 
go.  It  is  only  a  little  while  since  the  men  of 
Judea  were  trying  to  stone  you.  Will  you 
go  there  again?"  Jesus  answered,  "There 
are  twelve  hours  in  the  day,  and  then  one 
may  walk  without  stumbHng  ;  but  one  cannot 
walk  when  the  night  has  come.  This  is  the 
time  that  my  Father  has  given  me  to  work." 

Of  course  they  would  not  leave  him,  so  they 
started  with  him  on  the  way  to  Bethany.  The 
disciples  were  sad,  for  they  felt  that  their 
Master  was  going  into  danger  ;  but  Jesus  him- 
self seemed  happy  and  cheerful.  "  Our  friend 
Lazarus  is  asleep,"  he  said,  "  but  I  am  going 
to  awaken  him."  They  forgot  that  Jesus 
liked  to  speak  of  death  as  sleep,  and  they  said, 
"If  he   is  asleep,  he  will   get  well."     Then 


SORROW   IN   BETHANY  249 

Jesus  said  plainly,  "  Lazarus  is  dead."  "  The 
Master  might  have  saved  him,  and  he  did  not," 
the  disciples  whispered.  "  How  could  he  have 
stayed  away  from  the  one  whom  he  loved  ?  " 
cried  one.  "  He  need  not  have  gone ;  he 
could  have  cured  him  hy  a  word,"  said  an- 
other. Then  Jesus  spoke.  "  I  am  glad  for 
your  sake  that  I  was  not  there,"  he  said,  "  for 
now  you  will  trust  me  more  than  ever  before." 
The  disciples  could  not  understand  it,  but 
when  Jesus  said,  "  Now  we  will  go  to  Laza- 
rus," Thomas  said  to  the  others,  "  If  he  goes, 
let  us  go  too,  so  that  we  may  die  with  him." 

When  they  came  to  Bethany,  they  went  into 
a  house  at  the  edge  of  the  village,  for  Lazarus 
was  a  rich  man,  and  Jesus  knew  that  many 
would  come  from  Jerusalem  and  would  remain 
with  the  sisters  for  the  first  seven  days  of  their 
mournino-.  Some  of  his  enemies  would  be 
among  them,  and  he  would  not  go  into  danger 
when  it  was  not  necessary.  Word  was  sent  to 
the  home  of  Lazarus  that  Jesus  was  in  Beth- 
any. Martha  and  Mary  sat  on  the  floor,  their 
faces  hidden  by  long  veils.  The  room  was 
full  of  people  who  were  paid  to  mourn  and 
lament.  Even  so  far  away,  Jesus  could  hear 
the  sad  music  of  the  flutes  and  the  wailing  of 


250  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

the  women.  Lazarus  had  died  four  days  ear- 
lier, when  the  messenger  had  hardly  left  the 
village.  Again  and  again  the  sisters  had 
said,  "  If  we  had  only  sent  before,  the  Mas- 
ter would  have  been  here  and  would  have 
healed  him  ;  "  and  when  Martha  knew  that 
Jesus  had  come,  she  went  to  the  house  where 
he  was  and  sobbed,  "Lord,  if  you  had  only 
been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have  died. 
Even  now,  I  know  that  God  will  give  you 
whatever  you  ask."  Jesus  was  so  sorry  for 
her  that  he  could  not  hide  the  good  news 
for  a  moment,  and  he  said,  "  Martha,  your 
brother  shall  rise  again."  She  was  sobbing 
under  the  thick  veil,  and  she  could  only 
stammer,  "  Yes,  Lord,  I  know  that  he  will  rise 
at  the  resurrection."  Jesus  said,  "  Martha,  I 
am  resurrection  and  life.  Do  you  not  believe 
this  ?  "  "  Yes,  I  do,  Lord,"  she  answered. 
*^  I  believe  that  you  are  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  the  One  who  was  to  come  into  the 
world."  "  Where  is  your  sister  ? "  asked 
Jesus,  and  Martha  went  back  to  the  crowded 
house  and  called  Mary  outside.  Then  she 
whispered,  "  Mary,  the  Master  is  here,  and  he 
is  asking  for  you."  Mary  hastened  down  the 
path  that  led  to  the  house  at  the  edge  of  the 


SORROW  IN   BETHANY  251 

village.  It  also  led  near  the  tomb,  and  the 
people  who  were  in  the  house  followed  her, 
for  they  supposed  that  she  was  going  to  the 
grave  to  weep.  When  Mary  saw  Jesus,  she 
fell  at  his  feet  and  cried,  just  as  Martha  had 
done,  "  Lord,  if  you  had  only  been  here,  my 
brother  would  not  have  died,"  and  she  wailed 
and  mourned.  Then  the  people  who  were 
paid  to  lament  began  to  wail,  and  Jesus  was 
indignant  to  see  this  mockery  of  sorrow.  He 
cut  it  short  by  asking, "  Where  have  you  laid 
him?"  "  Come  and  see,"  they  answered,  and 
they  all  went  to  a  beautiful  place  in  Lazarus's 
own  2'arden.  Trees  and  flowers  were  all 
around.  A  little  hill  rose  on  one  side,  and  a 
tomb  had  been  cut  into  the  rock.  As  they 
came  near,  Mary's  tears  burst  out  again,  and 
Jesus,  too,  bowed  his  head  and  wept.  The 
people  who  had  come  with  them  watched 
every  motion  of  Jesus,  for  they  all  had  heard 
of  him,  and  they  were  curious  to  see  how  he 
would  behave.  Some  of  them  said,  "  How 
the  rabbi  loved  Lazarus !  See  how  he  weeps 
for  him  !  "  but  others  said,  "  This  is  the  man 
that  claims  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  If 
he  could  do  that,  he  could  have  kept  Lazarus 
from  dying." 


252  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

By  this  time  they  stood  before  the  tomb.  It 
was  closed  by  a  great  stone.  "  Take  the  stone 
away,"  Jesus  commanded.  "  But,  Lord,  he 
has  been  dead  four  days,"  said  Martha.  "  Did 
I  not  say  to  you,  Martha,  that  if  you  believed, 
you  should  see  the  glory  of  God?"  he  asked. 
There  was  something  in  his  manner  that  made 
those  around  obey  him,  and  they  took  away  the 
stone.  Jesus  looked  up  to  heaven,  and  said, 
"  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard 
my  prayer.  I  know  that  thou  hearest  me 
always,  but  I  thank  thee  before  those  that 
are  with  me,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou 
didst  send  me."  Then  he  said,  "  Lazarus, 
come  forth."  His  voice  was  so  sweet  that 
one  would  have  longed  to  obey  his  command, 
and  so  full  of  authority  that  no  one  would 
have  dared  to  disobey.  What  would  happen  ? 
The  hired  mourners  stared  with  curiosity  and 
forgot  to  wail.  The  people  from  Jerusalem 
watched  closely.  Some  of  them  were  looking 
for  a  miracle ;  some  thought,  "  The  man  has 
deceived  others,  but  he  shall  not  deceive  me. 
I  will  make  sure  that  there  is  no  trickery  about 
this."  Martha  and  Mary  could  not  take  their 
eyes  from  the  face  of  the  Master.  It  was  as 
calm  and  gentle  as  ever,  but  there  was  a  look 


SORROW  IN  BETHANY  253 

of  power  that  tliey  had  never  seen  before,  a 
look  of  certainty,  of  perfect  happiness.  His 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  open  door  of  the 
tomb.  It  was  so  still  that  the  rustHng  of  the 
leaves  could  be  heard.  A  bird  far  off  in  the 
meadow  sang-  a  good-night  song.  Then  there 
was  a  deeper  silence ;  and  then  the  people  fell 
back  in  fear  and  pressed  forward  again  to  see, 
for  out  of  that  tomb  in  the  rock  Lazarus  came 
forth,  and  looked  at  Jesus  as  if  he  would  say, 
"  Master,  I  am  come.  What  is  your  bidding  ?  " 
He  was  wrapped  in  folds  of  linen.  "  Loose 
him,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  set  him  free." 

The  people  from  Jerusalem  hastened  back 
to  their  homes.  Some  believed  in  Jesus,  and 
they  were  eager  to  tell  their  friends  of  what  he 
had  done.  Others  were  his  enemies,  and  they 
ran  to  tell  the  chief  priests.  The  whole  city 
was  aroused.  When  Jesus  healed  the  blind 
beggar,  some  had  declared  that  he  was  not 
born  blind  or  else  it  was  not  the  same  man, 
but  one  who  looked  Hke  him.  Now  there  was 
nothing  for  them  to  say  ;  Lazarus  had  been 
dead  in  the  tomb  for  four  days,  and  he  was 
alive  again.  So  many  people  had  seen  the  won- 
der that  no  one  could  deny  it.  What  should 
be  done  ?    The  chief  priests  and  the  Phar- 


254  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

isees  called  together  the  council,  and  one  mem- 
ber said,  "  This  man  works  many  wonders,  and 
if  we  let  him  go  on,  the  whole  nation  will  be- 
lieve in  him."  "  Yes,"  added  another,  "  even 
now  groups  of  men  are  standing  at  the  cor- 
ners of  the  streets  and  in  the  marketplace, 
and  as  I  came  by  I  could  hear  them  say, 
'The  Messiah  himself,  the  Christ  of  God!' 
In  the  towns  and  villages  men  are  talking  of 
coming  up  to  Jerusalem  to  fight  under  this 
man's  banner."  "  Whoever  rebels  against 
Rome  will  suffer,"  declared  another.  "  The 
Roman  armies  will  sweep  down  upon  us ;  they 
will  destroy  our  Temple  and  our  city.  They 
will  scatter  our  nation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
What  shall  we  do  ? "  Then  Caiaphas,  the 
high  priest,  arose  and  looked  at  them  scorn- 
fully. "  You  know  nothing  about  the  mat- 
ter," he  said.  "You  ask,  *  What  shall  we  do?' 
and  '  What  shall  we  do  ? '  like  children.  Can 
you  not  see  that  this  man  must  die  ?  If  you 
let  him  live,  you  have  no  longer  a  Temple,  a 
city,  a  nation.  He  is  but  one ;  we  are  many. 
This  one  man  shall  die  for  us  all."  The  others 
agreed,  and  on  that  day  their  officers  were  told 
to  take  Jesus  prisoner  and  bring  him  before 
them.     The  council  wished  to  keep  this  order 


SORROW  IN  BETHANY  255 

secret,  but  it  was  not  long  before  it  was  known 
all  through  Judea,  and  then  a  command  was 
sent  out  that  no  one  should  hide  the  man, 
but  that  whoever  found  him  should  bring  him 
before  them. 

The  officers  of  the  Temple  were  eager  for 
the  reward  that  the  priests  would  give,  but 
they  searched  for  Jesus  in  vain  ;  he  and  his 
disciples  had  gone  to  a  village  called  Ephrami, 
not  many  miles  from  Jerusalem,  but  so  far 
back  among  the  hills  that  it  was  a  good  hiding 
place.  After  a  little  while  he  went  again  to 
Perea,  where  he  was  much  more  safe  from  cap- 
ture. He  was  not  safe,  however,  from  being 
followed  by  the  Pharisees.  They  watched  him 
closely,  and  whenever  he  spoke  they  tried  to 
ask  him  some  question  that  he  could  not 
answer.  He  seldom  made  any  reply  to  idle, 
foolish  questions  that  were  asked  only  out  of 
curiosity.  Some  time  before  this  one  of  his 
hearers  had  asked  whether  few  people  or  many 
would  be  saved,  and  he  had  answered  only, 
"  See  that  you  yourselves  are  saved."  Now 
the  Pharisees  asked,  "When  is  the  kingdom 
of  God  coming  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  It  is 
already  begun.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not 
an  earthly  kingdom ;  it  is  the  rule  of  God  in 


256  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

the  hearts  of  men."  When  the  Pharisees  had 
gone,  he  told  his  disciples  more  about  the 
kinfrdom.  He  told  them  that  before  it  had 
fully  come  they  would  have  to  meet  suffering, 
but  that  those  who  loved  him  would  always  be 
safe.  Then  when  he  saw  that  they  were  trou- 
bled, he  told  them  a  parable  about  a  wicked 
judge.  "  There  was  a  poor  widow  in  his 
town,"  said  Jesus,  "  who  went  to  him  many 
times  to  beg  him  to  free  her  from  a  cruel 
enemy.  The  judge  cared  nothing  about  her 
being  treated  unjustly,  for  he  did  not  fear 
either  God  or  man,  but  she  came  so  often  that 
he  was  annoyed,  and  to  get  rid  of  her  he 
obliged  her  enemy  to  do  her  justice.  That," 
said  Jesus,  "  is  what  even  a  wicked  man  will 
do  if  one  does  not  give  up  begging  for  what 
he  wants.  Then  will  not  God  protect  his  own 
children  when  they  pray  to  him  night  and 
day?  It  may  seem  long  before  I  come,  but 
when  I  have  come,  then  the  time  of  waiting 
will  seem  very  short.  Will  you  not  trust  me  ? 
When  I  come  again,  shall  I  not  find  that  you 
still  believe  in  me  ?  " 

Several  other  parables  as  well  as  this  were 
about  how  men  should  pray.  Most  of  them 
were  spoken  especially  to  his  disciples,  but  one 


SORROW  IN  BETHANY  257 

that  he  now  told  was  meant  expressly  for  the 
Pharisees,  who  believed  that  they  did  just  what 
was  right  and  despised  others.  Jesus  said: 
"  There  were  once  two  men  who  went  up  into 
the  Temple  to  pray.  One  was  a  Pharisee  and 
the  other  a  publican."  Here  the  people  began 
to  Hsten  very  closely,  for  many  of  them  felt 
that  a  publican  was  so  wicked  that  he  hardly 
had  a  right  to  go  into  the  Temple.  "  This  is 
the  way  they  prayed,"  continued  Jesus.  "  Per- 
haps both  repeated  the  same  prayer,  but  while 
saying  the  words,  the  Pharisee  was  thinking,  ^  I 
am  glad  that  I  am  not  greedy  for  money  and 
unjust,  like  other  men,  like  that  publican  yon- 
der. He  does  not  keep  the  rules,  but  I  fast 
twice  a  week,  and  I  give  to  the  Temple  even 
more  than  the  law  requires.'  The  publican 
did  not  venture  to  come  far  into  the  Temple, 
but  stood  at  the  edge  of  the  court.  He  hardly 
dared  to  lift  his  eyes  toward  heaven,  but  as  he 
said  the  prayer,  he  beat  upon  his  breast  in  his 
sorrow,  and  thought,  ^I  am  a  sinner,  but  may 
God  have  mercy  on  me.'  Then,"  said  Jesus, 
"  this  publican  went  home  forgiven,  but  the 
Pharisee  was  not  forgiven,  for  he  had  not  re- 
pented.'* 


h^ 


m 


XVII 

JESUS    AND    THE    CHILDREN 

Jesus  was  often  obliged  to  speak  very  sternly 
to  the  Pharisees,  for  they  were  so  well  satisfied 
with  themselves  that  there  was  no  hope  of 
arousing  them  in  any  other  way  than  by  tell- 
ing them  just  what  they  did  that  was  wrong, 
and  how  they  ought  to  change  their  lives. 
He  was  always  glad  when  he  could  be  gentle 
and  loving  with  people  instead  of  blaming 
them,  and  one  of  the  happiest  days  of  those 
last  sad  months  before  his  death  was  when  the 
mothers  brought  their  little  children  to  him 
for  his  blessing.  It  was  a  custom  among  the 
Jews  for  a  child  first  to  be  blessed  by  his 
father  and  then  to  be  carried  to  the  chief  men 
of  the  synagogue.  One  after  another  laid  his 
hands  on  the  child's  head  and  prayed  that  he 
might  grow  up  to  become  a  good  man.  Some- 
times children  were  taken  to  any  rabbi  whom 
the  parents  thought  especially  good  or  learned 


262  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

in  the  law,  that  he  might  bless  them.     Per- 
haps these  mothers  iu  Perea  would  have  been 
afraid  to  ask  the  great  rabbi  for  any  blessing 
for  themselves.    Perea  was  a  half-heathen  city, 
and  it  may  be  that  some  of  those  who  came 
were  heathen,  and  that   they  did  not  under- 
stand Jesus'  words,  but  only  felt  that  he  was 
a  good  man,  and  that  his  prayers  could  not 
help  bringing  good  to  their  children.     How- 
ever that  may  be,  the  mothers  came  with  the 
little  ones  ;  some  of    the  children  ran  along 
beside  their  mothers,  some  could  just  put  one 
foot  before  the  other,  and   some  were  little 
babies   that    were    carried   in    their  mothers' 
arms.    The  disciples  were  not  pleased.    "  The 
Master  is  tired,"  said  one.     "  He  ought  to  be 
resting."     "  Yes,"   added  another,    "  and   he 
would  rather  have  older  people  come,  who  can 
understand  what  he  preaches  and  can  work  for 
him.    They  are  the  ones  who  will  help  to  con- 
quer the  world  and  make  his  kingdom  sure  ;" 
and  so  they  told  the  mothers  not  to  bring  their 
children  any  more.     Jesus  heard  them,  and 
he   said,   "  No  one  shall  enter  my  kingdom 
who  does  not  come  as  simply  and  humbly  as  a 
little  child."      He  not  only  put  his  hands  on 
the  heads  of  the  children  to  bless  them,  but  he 


JESUS   AND   THE   CHILDREN  263 

took  them  up  into  his  arms,  and  said,  "Suffer 
the  Httle  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  for- 
bid them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven," 

Jesus  loved  not  only  children,  but  all  young 
people.  One  day  when  he  was  walking  with 
his  disciples,  a»young  man  who  was  a  ruler  in 
the  synagogue  came  to  him.  The  ruler  took 
charge  of  the  service  and  appointed  those 
w^ho  should  preach  or  read  the  Scriptures. 
He  was  usually  one  of  the  older  men,  but 
this  ruler  was  so  pure  and  upright  that  he 
had  been  given  the  of&ce  while  he  was  very 
young.  He  was  richly  dressed,  but  he  came 
running  after  Jesus,  and  knelt  down  in  the 
dust  of  the  road  without  any  thought  of  his 
handsome  garments.  "  Good  Master,"  he 
cried,  "  what  ought  I  to  do  to  have  eternal 
life  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  Why  do  you  call 
me  good  and  ask  me  what  to  do  ?  God  is 
good,  and  you  know  his  commandments. 
Keep  these  if  you  wish  to  live  forever  :  Do 
not  kill.  Do  not  steal.  Do  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness. Be  faithful  to  your  wife,  Honor  your 
father  and  your  mother.  Love  your  neighbor 
as  yourself."  "  Master,"  replied  the  young 
man,  ^'  I  have  kept  these  commandments,  but 


264  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

■what  else  must  I  do?  "  He  was  so  earnest  in 
his  questioning,  and  his  face  was  so  pure  and 
true  as  he  looked  up  into  Jesus'  eyes,  that 
Jesus  could  not  help  loving  him.  He  had 
noticed  the  handsome  dress  and  the  golden 
ornaments,  and  he  thought,  "  The  young  ruler 
believes  he  cares  most  about  winning  heaven, 
but  he  really  cares  more  about  his  wealth.  If 
he  will  only  give  up  the  wealth,  he  will  be  free 
to  care  most  for  heaven,"  and  he  said, "There 
is  only  one  thing  that  you  need  do.  Sell  your 
houses  and  lands,  and  give  the  money  to  the 
poor.  Then  come  and  follow  me,  and  you 
shall  have  wealth  in  heaven."  The  young 
man  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  wanted  to 
have  treasure  in  heaven,  but  he  did  not  like  to 
give  up  his  treasure  on  earth.  He  would  have 
been  willing  to  build  a  synagogue  or  to  follow 
Jesus  for  a  while,  but  to  give  up  everything 
and  be  a  poor  man  all  his  hfe,  that  was  very 
hard,  and  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to 
do  it.  He  knew  that  Jesus  was  grieved  and 
sorry  and  was  looking  at  him  sadly.  He 
could  not  look  into  the  Master's  face  again, 
and  he  went  away  with  bowed  head,  very 
sorrowful.  Jesus  too  was  sorrowful.  "  It  is 
hard,"  he  said,   "for  a  man  who  has  riches 


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JESUS   AND   THE   CHILDREN  265 

to  care  more  for  God's  kingdom  than  for 
them.  A  rich  man  trusts  that  his  wealth  will 
make  him  happy,  and  it  is  easier  for  a  camel 
to  go  through  a  needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich 
man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  A  low, 
narrow  opening  in  the  city  wall,  beside  the 
large  gate,  was  sometimes  called  a  needle's 
eye.  The  disciples  cried,  "  Then  who  can 
be  saved  ? "  They  were  very  much  aston- 
ished, for  they  had  always  been  taught  that 
if  a  man  was  rich,  it  was  because  God  was 
pleased  with  him  and  had  given  him  wealth ; 
and  if  a  rich  man  could  not  enter  heaven 
easily,  they  did  not  see  that  there  would  be 
any  hope  for  a  poor  man.  "  God  can  make  a 
rich  man  love  him  more  than  he  loves  wealth," 
said  Jesus.  "  Then  he  will  use  his  wealth 
aright,  and  he  will  have  treasure  in  heaven." 
*'  We  have  left  everything  to  follow  you,"  said 
Peter  ;  "  shall  we  have  treasure  in  heaven  ?  " 
Jesus  answered,  "  If  any  one  has  left  his  home 
or  friends  or  wealth  for  me,  he  may  be  perse- 
cuted, but  he  shall  have  a  hundred  times  as 
much  happiness  in  this  world,  and  when  he 
dies,  he  shall  live  forever.  But  people  will  not 
be  rewarded  according  to  the  amount  that  they 
do   for  me,  but  according  to  what  they  are 


266  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

willing  to  do.  I  will  tell  you  a  story.  There 
was  once  a  man  who  needed  laborers  to  work 
in  his  vineyard,  so  he  went  out  into  the  market- 
place where  men  stood  waiting  to  be  hired,  and 
said  to  them,  '  Will  you  work  in  my  vineyard 
to-day  ?  I  will  give  you  each  a  ft^^^i^y-' 
'  Yes,  lord,'  they  answered,  and  he  sent  them 
into  his  vineyard.  About  nine  o'clock  he 
went  out  again  and  found  other  laborers 
standing  in  the  marketplace  because  no  one 
had  hired  them.  ^  Go  into  my  vineyard  and 
work,'  he  said,  '  and  when  night  comes,  I  will 
pay  you  whatever  is  just.'  So  he  told  other 
men  at  twelve  o'clock,  at  three,  and  at  five. 
At  evening  he  said  to  his  steward,  '  Call  the 
laborers  and  pay  each  one  a  penny.'  So  those 
who  came  at  five  and  three  and  twelve  had 
each  a  penny.  When  those  came  who  began  to 
work  early  in  the  morning,  they,  too,  received 
each  one  a  penny.  '  That  is  not  right,'  they 
complained.  '  Some  of  those  men  have  worked 
only  one  hour,  but  we  have  worked  in  the 
heat  all  day  long.'  The  lord  replied,  ^  You 
agreed  to  work  for  a  penny,  and  you  have  it. 
What  have  you  to  say  about  the  wages  that  I 
pay  to  the  others? ' "  Then  said  Jesus,  "  Those 
who  work  for  God  must  not  be  like  the  first 


JESUS   AND   THE   CHILDREN  267 

men  and  expect  to  be  paid  according  to  the 
amount  of  work  that  they  do ;  they  must  be 
like  the  other  men  and  be  willing  to  do  all  that 
they  can  and  trust  to  God  for  their  reward." 

In  the  midst  of  this  teaching  Jesus  never 
forgot  that  the  time  of  his  death  was  not  far 
away,  and  now  again  he  told  his  disciples 
what  was  to  come.  "  We  are  going  to  Jeru- 
salem," he  said.  **  I  shall  be  given  into  the 
hands  of  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  ;  I 
shall  be  condemned  and  delivered  up  to  those 
who  are  not  Jews  ;  I  shall  be  mocked  and 
spit  upon  and  scourged  ;  I  shall  be  crucified  ; 
and  after  three  days  I  shall  rise  again." 
Nothinof  could  be  more  clear  and  more  defi- 
nite  than  this  ;  and  yet  the  disciples  were  so 
sure  that  he  was  to  have  an  earthly  kingdom 
and  a  throne  that  only  a  little  while  after  he 
had  spoken  to  them,  James  and  John  and  their 
mother  came  to  Jesus  and  knelt  before  him, 
while  the  mother  said,  "  Master,  we  have  come 
to  ask  a  great  favor  of  you."  "  What  do  you 
wish  ?  "  asked  Jesus.  Then  said  the  mother, 
"  It  must  be  that  your  kingdom  will  come 
soon.  My  two  sons  have  been  with  you  from 
the  first.  Will  you  not  promise  that  they 
shall  be  the  chief  men  in  the  kingdom  and 


268  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

sit  one  on  your  right  hand  and  one  on  your 
left?  "  Jesus  asked  the  two  young  men,  "  Do 
you  understand  what  I  am  about  to  suffer? 
Can  you  bear  what  I  shall  have  to  bear  ?  " 
They  had  so  little  idea  of  what  was  to  come 
that  they  answered,  "  Yes,  Master,  we  can." 
"You  shall,  indeed,  share  my  suffering,"  said 
Jesus ;  "  but  my  Father  will  give  the  places  of 
honor  to  those  that  are  prepared  for  them." 

Jesus  was  not  angry  with  James  and  John 
or  their  mother,  but  he  was  very  sorry  that 
after  all  he  had  taught  them  they  did  not 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  The  other  disci j)les  were  indignant, 
however,  for  they  had  no  better  idea  of  the 
kingdom  than  these  two,  and  they  thought  it 
was  very  selfish  for  James  and  John  to  try  to 
get  the  better  of  them.  Then  Jesus  told  them 
all  to  come  to  him,  for  he  had  something  to 
say  to  them.  He  said,  "  In  heathen  nations 
around  us,  those  men  are  called  greatest  who 
rule  the  others  and  make  them  obey  their 
will,  but  it  is  not  to  be  so  in  my  kingdom.  I 
did  not  come  to  be  served,  but  to  serve  others, 
and  even  to  give  my  life  for  others.  So  let  it 
be  among  you.  Let  the  one  who  wishes  to 
be  greatest  try  to  be  most  helpful,  for  that 
is  the  way  to  be  great  in  my  kingdom." 


JESUS  AND   THE   CHILDREN  269 

Jesus  and  his  disciples  had  now  come  near 
to  Jericho,  but  they  were  not  a  little  band 
wandering  alone  from  village  to  village,  for 
the  Passover  time  had  nearly  come,  and  mul- 
titudes of  people  were  traveling  on  every  road 
that  led  to  Jerusalem.  Many  were  anxious 
to  see  the  great  rabbi,  and  they  thronged 
about  him.  He  might  do  some  miracle,  they 
thought,  and  if  he  spoke  they  wanted  to  hear 
what  he  said.  Two  blind  men  sat  by  the 
wayside  to  ask  alms  of  those  who  passed,  and 
when  they  knew  by  the  tramping  of  feet  that 
a  great  crowd  was  coming,  they  asked,  "  Who 
is  it?  What  does  the  noise  mean  ?  "  "  It  is 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  some  one  answered.  "  He 
is  going  "  —  But  the  blind  men  did  not  wait 
to  hear  the  rest  of  the  answer.  Jesus  had 
cured  a  blind  beggar  in  Jerusalem,  perhaps 
he  would  cure  them,  and  they  cried,  "  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  us  !  "  "  Hush  !  "  said 
the  people  around  them.  "  He  is  a  great 
rabbi.  Do  not  call  after  him  in  that  way." 
Still  they  cried,  and  one  of  them,  who  was 
named  Bartimeus,  stood  up  and  began  to  feel 
the  way  with  his  staff  toward  where  he  thought 
Jesus  might  be,  crying  all  the  time,  "  Jesus, 
Son  of  David,  have  mercy  !  "     Jesus  stopped 


270  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

and  said,  "  Bring  them  to  me."  "  Now  be 
happy,"  said  the  people  to  the  blind  men, 
"he  is  asking  for  you."  The  beggars  had 
heard  his  voice,  and  throwing  off  their  long 
cloaks  they  ran  toward  him.  "  What  do  you 
wish  me  to  do  for  you?  "  Jesus  asked.  And 
Bartimeus  answered,  "  0  Master,  if  you  will 
only  give  me  my  sight !  "  Jesus  said,  "  You 
shall  have  your  sight.  You  have  believed  in 
me,  and  your  faith  has  cured  you."  He 
touched  their  eyes,  and  they  both  were  cured. 
They  followed  on  after  Jesus,  and  they  and 
all  the  throng  passed  into  Jericho,  shouting, 
"  Praise  the  Lord  !     Glory  to  God  !  " 

The  crowed  grew  greater  every  minute,  for 
now  the  people  of  Jericho  had  all  run  out  of 
their  houses  to  see  the  rabbi.  Among  these 
people  was  the  chief  publican  of  the  city,  a 
man  named  Zaccheus.  He  was  rich,  but  the 
Jews  of  the  city  despised  him  because  he  was 
a  tax  collector.  He  had  heard  that  this 
strange  rabbi  of  Galilee  did  not  scorn  pub- 
licans, and  he  meant  to  see  him.  Zaccheus 
was  a  short  man,  and  he  would  have  had 
little  chance  to  see  in  a  crowed,  so  he  did  not 
wait  for  the  multitude  to  come  up  the  street, 
but  ran  on  ahead  and  climbed  a  great  syca- 


JESUS  AND  THE  CHILDREN  271 

more  tree  that  spread  its  branches  over  the 
way.     All  Zaccheus  hoped  for  was  to  see  the 
face   of   the  rabbi ;    but   when  Jesus    came 
under  the  tree,  he  looked  up  and  said,  "  Zac- 
cheus, make  haste  and  come  down  and  let  me 
be  your  guest  to-night."     Zaccheus  was  de- 
lighted.     He  dropped  from  the  low  limb  of 
the  sycamore  and  bowed   before  Jesus,  and 
said,  "  0  Master,  I  never  thought  of  such  an 
honor  as  this.     I  am  not  worthy,  I  am  not 
worthy."       "  Indeed   he   is   not,"   the  crowed 
murmured,  "  for  he  is  a  publican.     Think  of 
the  great   rabbi   going  to   stay  with   a   man 
who  is  a  publican  !  "       Zaccheus  heard   the 
words.     He  made  no  reply  to  the  crowd,  but 
he  turned  to  Jesus  and  said  in  so  loud  a  voice 
that  all  around  could  hear,  "  Master,  I  know 
something  of  your  teachings,  and  from  this 
day  I  will  obey  them.     I  will  give  half  of  my 
goods  to  the  poor,  and  if  I  have  ever  taken 
money  from  any  man  unjustly,  let  him  come 
to  me,  and  I  will  pay  him  back  four  times  as 
much." 

Jesus  had  a  word  to  say  to  the  crowd. 
"  This  man  is  a  true  son  of  Abraham,"  he  said. 
"  You  scorned  him,  and  he  is  indeed  lost  from 
among  you  ;  but  I  have  come  to  seek  and  save 


272  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

what  was  lost,  and  he  shall  be  in  my  king- 
dom." 

"  They  say  the  rabbi  is  going  up  to  Jeru- 
salem to  be  made  king,  just  as  Archelaus  went 
from  here  to  Rome  to  receive  his  kingdom," 
said  the  people  one  to  another.  They  crowded 
about  him,  for  they  were  all  hoping  to  hear 
that  they  would  soon  be  free  from  Rome. 
Jesus  knew  what  they  were  thinking  of,  and 
he  said,  "  Let  me  tell  you  about  a  nobleman 
to  whom  his  emperor  said,  '  Come  to  me,  and 
I  will  make  you  ruler  of  the  land  in  which  you 
live,'  The  emperor  lived  in  a  far  country,  but 
the  nobleman  made  ready  most  gladly  to  go 
to  him.  Then  he  thought, '  When  I  am  king, 
I  shall  want  to  choose  men  who  will  be  faith- 
ful to  me  and  can  rule  my  cities  well.  I  will 
give  some  of  my  servants  a  Httle  money  and 
see  which  of  them  will  manage  it  wisely.'  He 
called  ten  of  his  servants  and  gave  each  one  a 
silver  pound.  '  Take  this,'  he  said,  '  and  trade 
with  it  for  me.'  Then  he  set  out  on  his  jour- 
ney to  the  distant  land.  As  soon  as  he  had 
gone,  the  citizens  came  together  and  said, '  We 
do  not  wish  him  to  be  king.  Let  us  send  men 
to  the  emperor  to  ask  him  to  give  us  another 
ruler.'  " 


JESUS   AND   THE   CHILDREN  273 

Jesus  paused  a  moment,  and  the  people  who 
lived  in  Jericho  looked  at  one  another,  for 
when  Archelaus  went  to  Rome  to  be  made 
king,  they  had  sent  men  to  the  Roman  emperor 
to  say  that  they  did  not  wdsh  to  have  him  for 
a  ruler.  Jesus  was  telling  them  their  own  his- 
tory, and  they  thought,  "  Perhaps  now  he  will 
tell  us  that  his  own  kingdom  is  coming  soon." 
But  when  Jesus  went  on  with  the  story,  he 
said  that  the  kingdom  was  given  to  the  noble- 
man. "  And  when  he  came  back,"  said  Je- 
sus, "  he  called  his  ten  servants  to  him  and 
asked  each  one,  '  What  have  you  done  with 
my  money  ?  '  The  first  answ^ered,  '  Lord,  I 
traded  with  it,  and  your  pound  has  gained  ten 
pounds.'  '  You  are  a  good  servant,'  said  his 
lord.  ^  You  have  been  faithfid  in  a  very  little, 
and  now  you  shall  have  more.  I  give  you 
rule  over  ten  cities.'  The  second  servant  said, 
'  I  traded  with  your  pound,  and  it  has  gained 
five  pounds.'  ^  You,  too,  have  done  well,' 
said  his  lord,  ^  and  you  shall  rule  five  cities.' 
So  it  was  with  nine  of  the  servants  ;  each  had 
done  as  well  as  he  could,  and  a  reward  was 
given  to  each  ;  but  when  the  tenth  servant 
came,  he  said, '  Lord,  here  is  your  pound.  I 
knew  that  you  were  a  strict  man,  and  would  be 


274  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

angry  and  blame  me  if  I  lost  it,  for  you  expect 
to  reap  where  you  have  not  sown,  so  I  laid  the 
pound  away  in  a  napkin,  and  here  you  have 
all  that  you  gave  me.'  '  You  are  a  wicked 
servant,'  said  his  lord.  *  You  knew  that  I  was 
strict,  and  that  I  should  expect  you  to  use 
what  I  gave  you ;  for  you  are  my  servant,  and 
it  is  your  business  to  serve  me.  If  you  did 
not  know  how  to  trade  with  my  money  wisely, 
why  did  you  not  give  it  to  some  money-changer 
to  use,  so  that  when  I  came,  I  should  receive 
the  pound  with  interest?'  Then  he  said  to 
his  men, '  Take  the  pound  and  give  it  to  the 
first  servant.*  *  He  has  ten  pounds  already,' 
they  said.  '  That  is  well,'  declared  the  lord. 
'  Every  one  who  has  served  me  as  well  as  he 
could  shall  have  a  chance  to  serve  me  more ; 
but  the  one  who  has  not  used  a  chance  to 
do  me  even  a  small  service  shall  have  no 
chance  to  do  me  a  greater  service.  And  as 
for  those  men  who  said  they  would  not  have 
me  rule  over  them,  bring  them  here  and  put 
them  to  death.'  "  Jesus  did  not  explain  what 
this  parable  meant ;  he  knew  that  those  who 
heard  him  would  remember  it,  and  would  find 
out  its  meaning  for  themselves. 


xvm 

HOSANNA    TO    THE    SON    OF   DAVID! 

After  his  short  stay  in  the  house  of  Zac- 
cheus,  Jesus  set  out  up  the  narrow  rocky  path 
to  Jerusalem,  and  many  people  followed  him. 
It  was  only  six  days  before  the  Passover.  The 
crowds  flocking  up  to  the  Holy  City  were 
greater  than  ever,  and  they  all  seemed  to  be 
talking  of  Jesus.  "  Will  he  come  ?  "  they 
questioned.  "  No,  he  will  not,"  some  declared, 
"  for  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  have 
ordered  that  whoever  finds  him  shall  give  him 
up  to  them.  They  will  pay  a  great  reward 
for  him."  "  But  here  are  multitudes  of  us 
who  know  that  he  is  the  Christ.  He  will  lead 
us  and  strike  down  his  enemies,  and  free  us 
from  Rome."  "  Perhaps  he  is  the  Christ,  and 
perhaps  he  is  not,  but  I  want  to  see  him.  They 
say  he  will  come  into  the  city  with  a  great 
army  and  drive  out  the  Romans."  The  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  were  shut  up  in  a  room 


278  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

in  the  house  of  Caiaphas,  and  they,  too,  were 
talking.  "  We  shall  surely  have  him  now," 
they  said.  "  Some  one  will  bring  him  to  get 
a  reward."  "  Yes,  we  will  give  twenty  or  even 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  or  more  to  get  him  into 
our  hands."  "  But  we  ought  to  get  Lazarus  of 
Bethany.  This  Jesus  made  him  hve  after  he 
was  dead,  and  so  long  as  people  can  go  to  see 
him,  they  will  believe  in  the  Galilean.  Laza- 
rus must  be  put  to  death.  Even  if  Jesus 
is  killed,  the  rabble  will  hold  to  Lazarus." 
"  They  may  try  to  make  a  Messiah  out  of 
him,"  said  one  man,  with  a  scornful  laugh. 
"  They  will  think  a  man  who  has  been  dead 
can  do  anything.  Crowds  go  to  Bethany 
every  day  just  to  look  at  him." 

So  the  people  talked  in  the  streets,  and  so 
the  priests  and  Pharisees  talked  in  the  house 
of  Caiaphas.  Jesus  alone  knew  what  would 
be  done  during  those  next  six  days.  He 
thought  of  the  pain,  of  the  scourging  and  the 
crucifying,  of  the  sorrow  of  leaving  the  men 
who  had  given  up  home  and  friends  for  the 
love  of  him,  of  their  grief  when  they  knew 
that  he  had  left  them.  He  thoug-ht  of  the 
little  family  at  Bethany.  They  loved  him 
more  than  most  of  his  own  kindred.    He  could 


HOSANNA  TO  THE   SON  OF  DAVID      279 

not  leave  the  earth  without  one  peaceful  day 
with  them  and  his  followers,  and  the  Friday 
before  the  Passover,  while  the  crowds  were 
going  up  to  Jerusalem,  he  turned  aside  and 
went  with  his  disciples  to  Bethany,  to  Martha 
and  Mary  and  Lazarus. 

Saturday  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  and  the 
Jews  Avere  forbidden  to  travel  on  that  day,  so 
the  household  and  the  disciples  were  alone  for 
a  little  time  of  quiet.  They  talked  together 
as  they  had  been  used  to  do,  and  everything 
seemed  as  joyful  as  it  had  always  been  when 
Jesus  came  ;  and  yet  there  was  a  difference. 
The  family  at  Bethany  had  never  thought  any- 
thing about  his  becoming  an  earthly  king,  they 
had  never  asked  him  what  kind  of  kingdom 
he  would  have,  or  who  would  be  the  chief 
rulers  in  it.  They  loved  him,  and  they  were 
happy  when  he  was  with  them.  He  had  not 
told  them,  as  he  had  told  his  disciples,  that  he 
was  soon  to  die,  and  yet  on  that  Sabbath,  joy- 
ful as  it  was,  they  could  not  help  feeling  that 
some  change  was  coming.  He  had  a  long  talk 
alone  with  Lazarus  at  the  end  of  the  garden 
where  the  tomb  was  cut  into  the  rock.  He 
was  as  o-entle  and  tender  in  his  manner  to 
them  as  ever,  and  was  ready  to  listen  to  little 


\U 


280  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

stories  of  their  e very-day  life  ;  but  sometimes 
when  there  was  a  moment's  pause,  they  noticed 
that  he  seemed  to  be  thinking  of  something  a 
long  way  off.  More  than  once  they  saw  his 
eyes  turned  toward  the  path  that  went  out 
from  under  the  palm  trees  of  Bethany  and 
wound  about  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  Jerusa- 
lem. They  did  not  venture  to  question  him; 
they  only  tried  more  than  ever  to  serve  him  in 
every  way  that  they  could. 

When  sunset  came,  the  Sabbath  was  ended. 
A  feast  was  given  for  Jesus,  and  as  he  sat  at 
table,  people  went  into  the  house  and  out  of 
it,  as  was  the  custom  at  feasts.  There  were 
not  only  the  villagers,  but  crowds  from  Jeru- 
salem, for  when  they  had  heard  where  Jesus 
was,  they  went  in  great  companies  to  see  him, 
to  hear  him  speak,  to  have  something  to  tell 
their  friends  about  him.  Many  others  went 
only  to  gaze  upon  Lazarus,  to  see  how  a  man 
looked  who  had  been  raised  from  the  dead,  to 
listen  to  every  word  that  he  spoke,  for  he 
might  be  telling  what  he  had  seen  and  heard 
when  he  was  with  those  who  had  died. 

Mary  sat  a  httle  apart.  She  had  not  spoken 
to  Jesus  that  day  as  much  as  the  others  had, 
but  she  had  sat  listening  to  him  as  if  she  could 


HOSANNA   TO   THE   SON   OF   DAVID        281 

not  bear  to  lose  a  single  word  that  he  spoke. 
Now,  as  the  feast  went  on,  she  did  not  seem  to 
heed  the  crowds  that  were  coming  and  going  ; 
she  saw  no  one  but  Jesus,  and  she  thought 
of  nothins:  but  what  she  could  do  for  him. 
She  had  a  beautiful  alabaster  flask  fidl  of  a 
precious  perfume  brought  from  the  far-away 
lands  of  the  East.  She  broke  the  seal  and 
poured  the  perfume  upon  his  head,  then  upon 
his  feet,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair.  The 
disciples  were  surprised  that  Jesus  did  not  stop 
her.  "It  is  only  a  little  while  ago,"  they 
whispered,  "  that  he  talked  about  using  money 
for  the  kingdom  of  God,  to  help  the  poor ;  " 
and  Judas  said,  "  That  perfume  might  have 
been  sold  for  three  hundred  pence."  He 
added,  "  It  could  have  been  given  to  the 
poor,"  but  he  looked  at  the  bag  in  which 
was  kept  the  money  for  their  every-day  ex- 
penses, and  which  he  carried.  Jesus  said, 
"  Do  not  pain  her  by  saying  such  things. 
The  poor  will  be  always  with  you,  but  I  shall 
not  be.  We  pour  perfume  upon  the  dead, 
and  she  has  poured  this  perfume  upon  me  to 
prepare  me  for  my  burial.  She  has  done  for 
me  all  that  she  could  do,  and  wherever  in  the 
world  my  gospel  shall  be  preached,  this  deed 


282  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

of  hers  shall  be  told,  and   she  shall  he  hon- 
ored." 

Jesus  stayed  in  Bethany  one  more  night. 
The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  he  let  it  be 
known  that  in  the  afternoon  he  meant  to  q:o 
up  to  Jerusalem.  The  news  was  soon  carried 
to  the  city,  and  the  crowds  that  had  thronged 
there  for  the  Passover  were  half  wild  with 
excitement.  "  He  will  come  riding  on  a  fiery 
war-horse,  and  leading  an  army  with  trumpets 
and  banners  !  He  will  strike  down  at  a  word 
the  Roman  soldiers,  and  even  the  Jews  who 
have  refused  to  honor  him ! "  This  was  what 
many  of  the  people  thought.  The  council 
were  puzzled.  If  he  really  was  to  be  a  great 
ruler,  their  only  hope  of  escaping  his  anger 
would  be  to  fall  at  his  feet  and  beo:  him  to 
pardon  them ;  if  he  was  not  the  Christ,  they 
must  take  him  captive,  and  the  sooner  the 
better ;  but  with  the  city  full  of  crowds  who 
seemed  to  talk  of  nothing  but  the  Galilean 
rabbi,  they  really  dared  not  attemjit  to  seize 
him.  They  could  only  wait  a  little  to  see 
what  would  happen.  The  Roman  soldiers 
were  interested.  If  the  stories  were  true, 
this  man  could  cure  leprosy  or  make  a  dead 
man  live  by  a  word ;  why  then  could  he  not 


HOSANNA  TO  THE   SON  OF  DAVID      283 

by  a  word  bring  disease  upon  them  or  destroy 
even  the  mighty  legions  of  Rome?  They 
were  silent,  but  they  watched  and  waited,  and 
many  of  them  feared. 

The  time  came,  and  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
set  out  for  Jerusalem.  They  went  up  the  hill 
from  Bethany,  around  the  slope  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  near  to  the  little  village  of  Beth- 
phage,  which  was  almost  a  part  of  the  Holy 
City.  "  Go  into  the  village,"  said  Jesus  to 
two  of  his  disciples,  "  and  you  will  see  an  ass 
tied  at  one  of  the  doors.  With  her  is  a  colt 
on  which  no  one  ever  sat.  Untie  them  and 
lead  them  to  me."  The  two  men  looked  at 
each  other,  then  at  him.  "  If  any  one  asks 
why  you  are  untying  them,  answer, '  The  Lord 
needs  them,'  and  he  will  give  them  to  you 
willingly." 

This  came  to  pass  as  Jesus  had  said.  The 
two  disciples  went  into  Bethphage  and  found 
the  ass  with  the  colt  by  her  side.  The  owner 
asked,  "  Why  are  you  untying  them  ?  "  The 
disciples  answered,  "  Because  the  Lord  needs 
them,"  and  the  owner  gave  them  wilhngly. 
When  they  came  back,  Jesus  was  sitting  in 
the  shade  of  a  fig  tree  waiting  for  them.  He 
seated  himself  on  the  back  of  the  colt,  and  with 


284  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

his  disciples  walking  beside  him  went  slowly 
toward  Jerusalem.  With  the  Jews  the  horse 
was  the  emblem  of  war,  but  the  ass  was  the 
emblem  of  peace.  Many  great  men  among 
the  Jews,  prophets  and  kings,  had  ridden  on 
the  ass,  and  it  seemed  to  the  multitudes  that 
had  come  out  to  meet  Jesus  as  if  now,  at  last, 
their  king,  their  Christ,  had  come.  To  show 
him  honor,  they  threw  their  outer  garments 
down  in  the  road  that  he  might  ride  over 
them,  they  cut  branches  from  the  trees,  and 
great  spreading  leaves  of  the  palm,  and  laid 
them  in  his  way,  and  they  cried  aloud  in  their 
joy,  "  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David  !  Blessed 
is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
Hosanna  in  the  hio^hest !  " 

Some  of  the  Pharisees  had  come  out  with 
the  multitude,  and  they  tried  to  stop  the  shout- 
ing. They  even  said  to  Jesus,  "  This  noise  is 
not  fitting.  Cannot  you  stop  those  disciples 
of  yours?  "  Jesus  answered,  ^^  If  they  should 
be  silent,  the  very  stones  would  cry  out." 
Then  the  Pharisees  said  to  one  another,  "  We 
cannot  do  anything  now.  The  whole  world 
has  gone  wild  over  him." 

At  a  sudden  turn  of  the  road  a  grand  view 
of  the  Holy  City  was  spread  out  before  the 


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HOSANNA   TO   THE   SON   OF  DAVID       285 


eyes  of  the  multitude.  It  stood  on  the  hills, 
with  deep  green  valleys  around  it,  and  beyond 
the  valleys  were  the  rocky  sides  of  the  lofty 
mountains.  A  high  stone  wall  surrounded  the 
city.  There  were  watchtowers  and  palaces 
and  trees  and  gardens,  and  on  the  hill  rose 
the  Temple,  gleaming  and  glittering  in  the 
blaze  of  the  sunshine.  "  The  city  of  God  !  " 
cried  the  multitude.  "  The  Christ  is  come  ! 
Jerusalem  shall  be  free !  Hosanna  to  the  son 
of  David  ! " 

What  did  Jesus  do  ?  If  he  had  said,  "  Form 
yourselves  into  line  ;  go  forward  into  the 
city,  and  bring  together  all  who  wish  to  be 
great  in  my  kingdom ;  go  to  every  village 
around  Jerusalem,  send  messengers  to  every 
town  of  Judea  and  Galilee,  and  even  Perea, 
and  say,  ^  The  Christ  is  come ;  fight  under 
the  banner  of  the  Christ ;  here  is  a  leader 
who  can  destroy  his  enemies  at  a  word  !  '  " 
—  if  Jesus  had  said  this,  then  there  would 
have  been  such  a  revolt  against  Roman  power 
as  Rome  had  never  known  ;  but  this  strange 
Christ,  who  might  so  easily  have  been  king, 
spoke  no  such  word.  He  looked  and  looked 
at  the  city  as  if  it  was  the  face  of  one  whom 
he  loved.     "  0  Jerusalem,"  he  said,  "  if  you 


286  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

had  only  known  what  would  have  given  you 
peace  !  The  time  will  soon  come  when  your 
enemies  will  throw  up  fortifications  against 
you  and  destroy  you.  There  will  not  be  one 
stone  left  standing  upon  another.  0  my  city, 
Jerusalem,  if  you  had  only  known  !  If  you 
would  only  have  Hstened  !  "  and  while  the 
multitudes  were  shouting  Hosanna  !  Jesus  was 
weeping. 

He  rode  on  into  Jerusalem.  Still  the  crowds 
shouted,  and  the  people  who  lived  in  the  city 
thronged  the  doors  and  windows  and  the  flat 
roofs  of  the  houses  and  cried,  "  Who  is  it  ? 
Why  do  you  shout  Hosanna?  "  and  the  crowds 
called  back,  "  Hosanna,  hosanna !  This  is 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Jesus  from  Galilee,  Jesus 
the  Son  of  David  !     Hosanna  !  hosanna  !  " 

At  the  gate  of  the  Temple  the  crowd  fell 
back.  No  one  might  enter  with  feet  not 
cleansed  from  the  dust  of  the  road.  Jesus 
had  ridden,  and  therefore  he  need  not  wait  for 
purifying.  He  walked  into  the  Temple.  He 
went  from  court  to  court ;  he  looked  at  the 
curtains  embroidered  with  purple  and  scarlet 
and  gold,  at  the  golden  vine  that  hung  over 
the  door,  at  the  mosaic,  the  tapestry,  the  plates 
of   gold.     The  silver   gleamed,  the   precious 


HOSANNA   TO   THE   SON   OF   DAVID       287 

stones  flashed  and  glowed.  It  was  his  Father's 
house.  Jesus  looked  about  it  once  more. 
Then  he  went  slowly  away.  It  was  sunset, 
and  he  and  his  disciples  walked  back  over  the 
hills  to  spend  the  night  in  Bethany. 


XIX 

THE    BOYS    SING    PRAISES 

Monday  morning  Jesus  started  to  go  back 
to  Jerusalem.  Not  far  from  Bethany  a  fig 
tree  stood  by  the  roadside.  It  was  not  yet 
time  for  the  new  figs,  but  this  tree  was  covered 
with  strong,  fresh  leaves,  and  therefore  the 
disciples  expected  to  find  on  it  some  of  the 
fruit  of  the  year  before  ;  but  when  they  came 
to  it,  not  a  fig  was  to  be  seen.  The  tree  had 
borne  no  fruit,  and  its  green  leaves  were  only 
a  deception,  for  they  made  people  think  that 
it  was  doing  its  work.  "  That  is  like  people 
who  pretend  to  be  good,  but  are  not,"  thought 
Jesus,  and  he  said  to  the  tree  as  if  it  were  a 
person,  "There  shall  never  be  any  fruit  on 
you." 

When  they  were  come  into  the  city,  Jesus 
went  again  to  the  Temple.  For  a  time  after  he 
drove  out  the  money-changers  and  those  who 
bought  and  sold,  the  priests  had  had  strict 


292  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

rules  against  doing  any  such  things  within 
the  gates,  but  Httle  by  httle  the  business  had 
become  as  bad  as  before  ;  and  people  who  were 
going  across  the  city  had  made  a  path  for 
themselves  through  the  Temple  courts,  so  that 
they  might  shorten  their  walk.  A  second 
time  Jesus  cleansed  his  Father's  house,  driv- 
ing out  those  who  bought  and  sold,  and  over- 
throwing the  tables  of  the  money-changers. 
"  Did  not  the  prophet  say,"  he  cried,  "  that 
the  house  of  God  should  be  called  a  house  of 
prayer  ?  You  have  again  made  it  a  den  of 
robbers."  Then  when  the  Temple  had  been 
cleansed,  the  lame,  the  blind,  and  the  suffer- 
ing went  to  him  in  throngs,  and  he  cured 
them. 

He  had  gone  into  the  Temple  so  quietly,  and 
so  much  as  if  it  was  his  rightful  place,  that 
the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  did  not  know 
what  to  think.  They  did  not  dare  try  to  take 
him  prisoner,  for  the  people  crowded  about 
him  and  seemed  to  hang  upon  his  words  ;  and, 
too,  it  was  so  bold  a  deed  for  him  to  enter  the 
Temple,  or  even  the  city,  that  they  were  puz- 
zled, and  thought  that  he  must  have  a  great 
force  somewhere.  Perhaps  even  then  men 
were  gathering  in  different  parts  of  the  land, 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  293 

and  when  he  gave  the  signal  they  would  rush 
forward  and  join    the  multitudes  already  in 
Jerusalem,  and  make  him  their  king.     There 
was  one  thing,  however,  that  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees,  half  afraid  as  they  were,  could 
not  bear  in  silence.     The  boys  who  sang  in 
the  service  of  the  Temple  had  seen  all  that 
was  done.     Some  of  them  had  gone  out  on 
the  way  to  Bethany  to  meet  the  great  rabbi 
who  loved  children  ;   and  now  when  the  blind 
and  the  lame  that  he  cured  threw  away  their 
staves  and  crutches,  and  cried,  "  Praise  God ! 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David !  "  these  boys, 
too,  cried  joyfully,   "  The  Messiah  is  come ! 
Hosanna  !    hosanna  to  the  Son  of    David  !  " 
Then  the  priests  were  indeed  angry,  and  they 
said  to  Jesus,  "  Do  you  hear  that  ?     Do  you 
hear  what  these  boys  are  crying  ?  "     Jesus  re- 
plied, "I  do.     Have   you  never  heard   that 
God  loves  best  the  praise  that  children  give 
him  ? "     Jesus  said   no  more  to   them.     He 
went  on  healing  the  sick  and  teaching  until 
the  evening  had  come.     Then  he  went    out 
to  the  Mount  of  Olives  with  his  disciples,  while 
the  chief  priests  and  scribes  met  together  to 
plan  how  they  might  put  him  to  death. 

Tuesday  morning  Jesus   and   his  disciples 


294  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

went  again  to  Jerusalem,  and  as  they  passed 
by  the  fig  tree  they  cried,  "  See,  Master,  the 
fig  tree  is  withered  away."  "  Yes,"  said  Je- 
sus, "  and  if  you  only  have  faith,  you  can  do 
what  I  have  done  to  the  fig  tree,  and  even 
much  greater  things.  Only  believe,  only  have 
faith  in  God,  and  he  will  give  you  what  you 
ask  of  him.  He  will  forgive  you  if  you  have 
done  wrong,  but  before  you  ask  him  for  his 
forgiveness,  you  must  first  forgive  whoever 
has  done  you  a  wrong." 

Then  Jesus  and  the  disciples  went  up  into 
the  Temple.  Crowds  of  people  were  waiting, 
for  they  knew  that  he  would  come  there,  and 
they  were  eager  to  hear  him.  He  was  begin- 
ning to  speak  to  them  when  the  chief  priests 
and  the  elders,  or  men  who  rej)resented  the 
people  in  the  council,  came  to  him  and  de- 
manded, "  Who  gave  you  a  right  to  teach  in 
the  Temple  ?  In  whose  school  did  you  study  ? 
When  did  the  teachers  of  the  law  examine 
you  and  say  that  you  might  teach  the  23eo- 
ple  ?  "  They  thought  they  had  asked  some 
very  shrewd  questions,  for  they  knew  Jesus  had 
never  studied  in  any  school  of  the  rabbis,  and 
they  thought  he  would  say,  "  My  Father  sent 
me."    Then  they  would  have  said,  "  You  are 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  295 

a  blasphemer,  for  you  have  declared  that  you 
are  equal  with  God."  They  felt  much  pleased 
with  themselves  to  think  that  uow  they  had 
a  question  which  the  rabbi  could  not  answer 
without  his  own  words  giving  them  a  reason 
for  accusing  him. 

Jesus  looked  at  them  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  "  I  will  tell  you,  if  you  will  first  answer 
me  one  question  :  Was  the  baptism  of  John 
from  heaven  or  from  men  ?  "  The  priests  and 
elders  were  more  puzzled  than  ever.  "  What 
shall  we  say  ?  "  they  asked  one  another.  "  If 
we  say,  *  From  men,'  here  are  thousands  of 
people  who  call  John  a  prophet,  and  they  will 
stone  us.  If  we  answer, '  From  heaven,'  then 
the  rabbi  will  say,  '  John  bore  witness  to  me. 
If  he  came  from  heaven,  why  did  you  not  be- 
lieve him  ?  "  They  did  not  dare  to  give  either 
answer,  and  they  muttered,  "  We  cannot  tell 
whether  John's  baptism  was  from  heaven  or 
from  men."  Then  said  Jesus,  "Neither  shall  I 
tell  you  who  sent  me  to  teach." 

The  priests  did  not  venture  to  ask  him  any 
more  questions,  and  he  went  on  with  his  teach- 
ing, but  he  did  not  wish  to  leave  even  his  ene- 
mies without  one  more  warning.  "  What  do 
you  think  of  this  parable?  "  he  asked.    "There 


290  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

was  once  a  man  who  had  two  sons.  He  said 
to  the  older,  '  My  son,  go  and  work  to-day  in 
my  vineyard.'  '  I  will  not/  the  son  answered, 
but  soon  he  was  sorry  that  he  had  refused  his 
father,  and  he  went  to  the  vineyard.  When 
the  father  asked  the  second  son,  he  replied, 
*  Yes,  father,  I  will  go,'  but  he  did  not  go. 
Which  of  these  two  obeyed  his  father?" 
"  The  first,"  answered  the  priests,  without 
stopping  a  moment  to  think  what  the  meaning 
of  the  parable  was.  Then  said  Jesus,  "  When 
John  came,  many  people  who  had  not  been 
good  listened  to  him,  were  sorry  for  their  sins, 
and  began  to  obey  God's  commands ;  but  you 
said  to  yourselves,  '  We  fast,  and  we  make 
long  prayers ;  we  are  good  enough  already ; ' 
and  you  did  not  obey  God's  commands.  I  tell 
you  that  the  publicans  and  these  whom  you 
call  the  wicked  are  going  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  before  you." 

The  priests  and  the  elders  could  not  think 
of  any  reply  to  make.  They  did  not  wish  to 
have  Jesus  ask  them  any  more  questions,  for 
the  people  were  listening  and  seeing  that  he 
had  the  better  of  them ;  but  if  they  went  away, 
the  people  would  think  they  were  afraid  of 
what  he  might  say  to  them;  so  they  stayed, 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  297 

though  they  felt  very  uncomfortable.  Jesus 
hoped  they  would  feel  so  badly  that  they  would 
be  sorry  for  pretending  to  be  good  instead 
of  really  trying  to  please  God,  and  he  said, 
"  Hear  another  parable  :  A  man  once  planted 
a  vineyard  and  built  a  hedge  about  it,  and  dug 
a  pit  where  the  juice  could  be  pressed  out  of 
the  grapes,  and  built  a  tower  so  that  watch- 
men could  see  if  thieves  were  coming.  After 
it  was  all  in  order,  he  engaged  some  men  to 
care  for  it,  and  went  into  a  distant  land.  When 
it  was  time  for  the  grapes  to  be  ripe,  he  sent 
a  servant  to  the  vineyard  for  the  fruit.  The 
men  meant  to  keep  the  fruit  for  themselves, 
so  they  beat  the  servant,  and  cried,  ^  Go  back 
to  your  lord.'  The  lord  sent  another,  and  the 
men  wounded  him.  The  lord  sent  a  third,  and 
after  him  many  more,  but  the  wicked  men  beat 
some  of  them  and  killed  others.  At  last  the 
lord  declared,  *  I  will  send  no  more  servants. 
I  will  send  my  own  beloved  son,  for  they  will 
respect  him  and  obey  him.'  '  The  son  of  the 
lord  is  coming,'  called  the  guard  in  the  watch- 
tower.  '  Good  ! '  cried  the  wicked  men.  '  He 
is  the  heir.  We  will  kill  him,  and  then  the 
vineyard  will  be  ours.'  So  when  the  son 
came  into  the  vineyard  and  said,      ^  This  is 


298  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

my  father's  vineyard,  and  I  am  come  for  his 
harvest/  they  drove  him  out  and  killed  him." 
The  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  could 
not  help  knowing  that  this  parable  meant  that 
they  were  the  wicked  men ;  that  the  servants 
who  were  sent  for  the  harvest  were  the 
prophets  and  John  the  baptizer ;  and  that  the 
beloved  son  was  Jesus  himself.  Jesus  was 
grieved  to  think  how  much  even  these  people 
who  were  his  enemies  and  were  planning  how 
to  kill  him  would  have  to  suffer,  and  he  asked 
very  sadly,  "  When  the  lord  of  the  vineyard 
comes,  what  will  he  do  ?  "  There  was  no  reply, 
and  he  answered  the  question  himself.  "He 
will  destroy  those  men,  and  will  give  his  vine- 
yard into  the  hands  of  others."  Even  the 
chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  were  fright- 
ened for  a  moment  and  cried,  "  God  for- 
bid !  "  Then  Jesus  asked,  "  Have  you  never 
read  in  the  Scriptures  that  the  stone  which 
the  builders  called  worthless  was  made  the 
corner-stone  of  the  building  ?  "  They  knew 
his  meaning  was  that  he  was  the  corner-stone 
and  the  kingdom  of  God  was  the  building. 
The  priests  were  more  angry  than  ever,  for 
they  saw  that  the  people,  too,  understood 
what  he   meant,  but   they   did  not  dare  to 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  299 

seize  liim,  for  the  people  believed  that  he  was 
a  prophet. 

Jesus  spoke  one  more  parable  to  the  chief 
priests  and  the  Pharisees,  not  angrily,  but  very 
sadly,  for  he  saw  that,  no  matter  how  much 
he  tried  to  make  them  sorry  they  were  not 
doing  right,  they  would  not  give  up  their 
own  way.  This  was  the  parable  :  "  There 
was  once  a  king  who  made  a  great  wedding 
feast  for  his  son.  He  invited  many  guests, 
and  when  the  time  came,  he  sent  out  his  ser- 
vants to  say  to  them,  '  Come,  for  the  feast 
is  ready.'  Those  who  were  invited  said  to 
themselves,  *  We  do  not  wish  to  go  to  this 
feast.  It  will  not  be  half  as  fine  as  the  king 
promises  ; '  so  they  told  the  servant  that  they 
would  not  come.  The  king  had  made  a  feast 
of  such  good  things  as  they  had  never  seen,  and 
he  did  not  wish  them  to  lose  it,  so  he  sent  out 
other  servants  to  say, '  The  oxen  and  the  lambs 
are  killed.  Everything  is  ready.  Come  to  my 
feast ! '  Some  of  those  who  were  invited  only 
laughed,  and  went  on  with  what  they  were 
doing,  one  buying  and  selling  and  another 
managing  his  farm ;  but  some  of  them  were 
angry  and  cried,  '  Shall  we  never  be  free  from 
that  feast  ?     Why  does  he  not  let  us  alone  ? ' 


300  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

and  because  they  could  not  harm  the  king, 
they  attacked  his  servants  and  beat  them  and 
killed  them.     Then  the  king  sent  his  armies 
and  burned  the  homes  of  those  men.     He  said 
to  his  servants,  '  Those  who  were  invited  were 
not  worthy.    Now  go  to  the  cross-roads  where 
many  people  pass  and  bring  in  all  that  go  by, 
even  those  whom  the  invited  guests  would  have 
called  sinners.'    The  servants  obeyed,  and  the 
house  was  soon  full  of  people  who  were  glad 
and  grateful  to  the  king   for  his   kindness. 
The  king  went  about  among  his  guests  to  wel- 
come them  and  please  them.     He  had  known 
that  they  would  not  have  garments  proper  to 
wear  to  a  wedding  feast,  and  so  he  had  left 
beautiful  robes  for  them  at  the  door,  that  each 
one  might  be  fit   to  come  into  his  presence. 
All  the  guests  except  one  were  dehghted  to 
wear  them,  but  this  one  thought,  '  My  clothes 
are  good  enough  for  me,  and  I  will  not  put 
on  others  even  for  the  king.'    When  the  king 
saw  him,  he  asked,  '  My  friend,  how  is  it  that 
you  have  come  in  to  stand  before  me  in  clothes 
that  are  stained  and  soiled  with  the  dust  of 
the  road?'     The   man   hung  his  head   and 
was  silent.     *  You  have  slighted  my  kindness,' 
said  the  king.     '  I  gave  you  a  robe,  but  you 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  30l 

chose  to  wear  your  own.  You  have  insulted 
me  by  coming  before  me  in  such  a  garment, 
and  you  must  be  punished.'  He  ordered  his 
servants,  *  Bind  him  hand  and  foot.  Take 
him  out  of  the  feasting-hall  with  the  music 
and  the  lights,  and  cast  him  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  street.'  "  Then  said  Jesus,  "  Many 
guests  have  indeed  been  invited  to  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  but  only  those  who  have 
obeyed  God  will  be  chosen  to  enter  it." 

While  Jesus  was  telling  these  parables,  his 
enemies  were  still  planning  to  make  him  say 
something  for  which  they  could  seize  him. 
The  priests  and  Pharisees  had  not  been  able 
to  get  the  better  of  him,  and  now  they  asked 
the  Herodians  to  help  them.  The  Herodians 
were  men  who  paid  no  attention  to  the  laws  of 
Moses,  but  followed  Roman  customs  and  were 
anxious  to  stand  well  with  the  Roman  em- 
peror. The  Pharisees  persuaded  some  of  these 
men  to  go  to  Jesus  with  a  group  of  young 
pupils  of  the  Pharisees,  as  if  they  had  been 
discussing  a  hard  question  and  would  decide 
it  by  what  he  might  say.  These  pupils  pre- 
tended to  be  very  eager  to  do  just  what  was 
right,  and  as  they  stood  before  Jesus  they 
said,  "  Master,  we  know  that  you  are  a  good 


302  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

man,  and  that  all  you  care  for  is  to  teach  men 
what  is  pleasing  to  God.  Will  you  tell  us 
what  we  ought  to  do  about  paying  taxes  to 
the  emperor?  Ought  we  who  are  Jews  to  pay 
tribute  money  to  a  heathen  ?  "  The  Jews 
were  obliged  to  pay  these  taxes,  but  if  Jesus 
had  answered  "  Yes "  to  the  question,  they 
would  have  said  that  he  was  not  a  patriot, 
that  he  cared  nothing  for  his  nation.  If  he 
had  answered  "  No,"  then  the  Herodians 
would  have  called  him  a  traitor,  and  the 
Roman  soldiers  would  have  seized  him.  He 
saw  in  an  instant  what  they  were  trying  to  do, 
and  he  replied,  "  You  are  not  honest  men,  you 
are  hypocrites.  Look  at  this  penny.  Whose 
head  and  whose  name  are  on  it?"  They 
answered,  "  Csesar's."  Then  said  Jesus,  "  Give 
to  Csesar  what  belongs  to  him,  but  see  that  you 
also  give  to  God  all  that  is  his."  The  crowds 
of  people  were  listening,  and  neither  the  Hero- 
dians nor  the  pupils  of  the  Pharisees  dared  to 
try  to  argue  with  Jesus,  so  they  went  away. 

The  chief  priests,  or  Sadducees,  now  came 
with  a  question  which  they  were  sure  he  could 
not  answer.  They  began  politely,  "  Master, 
will  you  tell  us  this  ?  You  know  that  Moses 
made  a  law  that  if  a  man  died  and  left  no 


JESUS   AND   THE   TRIBUTE    MONEY 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  303 

child,  his  brother  should  marry  the  widow, 
and  if  they  had  a  son,  he  should  carry  on  the 
first  husband's  name  and  should  inherit  his 
property  as  if  he  had  been  the  first  husband's 
child  ?"  The  Sadducees  thought  the  best  way 
to  keep  the  multitude  from  believing  in  Jesus 
was  to  make  them  laugh  at  huu,  so  they  said, 
"  Now,  Master,  there  were  seven  brothers.  A 
woman  married  the  first,  and  he  died  leaving 
no  son ;  then  she  married  the  second,  and  so 
on  till  she  had  been  the  wife  of  all.  In  the 
resurrection,  whose  wife  will  she  be?"  The 
Sadducees  did  not  believe  there  would  ever  be 
any  resurrection,  and  so  Jesus  passed  over  the 
idle  question  Hghtly,  saying  only,  "  Matters  in 
heaven  will  not  be  as  they  are  on  earth  ; "  but 
he  talked  to  them  seriously  about  the  resur- 
rection. "You  have  repeated  what  Moses 
wrote,"  he  said,  "but  even  Moses  showed  you 
that  the  dead  will  rise  again,  for  Moses  wrote 
that  when  God  appeared  to  him  in  the  burning 
bush,  he  said,  '  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham  and 
the  God' of  Isaac  and  the  God  of  Jacob.'  Now 
he  is  not  the  God  of  dead  bodies,  but  of  living 
people,  and  therefore  Abraham  and  Isaac  and 
Jacob  are  ahve,  and  there  is  a  resurrection." 
There  stood  the  Sadducees,  who  were  the  chief 


304  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

among  the  priests,  and  who  claimed  that  they 
knew  the  Scriptures  better  than  any  one  else ; 
and  Jesus  had  shown  before  the  people  that 
they  did  not  understand  the  Holy  Writings  at 
all !  It  is  no  wonder  that  some  of  the  scribes 
burst  out  with,  "  Rabbi,  that  is  well  done." 

The  Sadducees  would  not  risk  another 
question,  but  some  of  the  Pharisees  who  were 
together  in  a  group  sent  one  of  their  number 
to  ask,  "  Which  is  the  most  important  com- 
mandment in  the  law  ?  "  As  he  used  the  word 
"  law,"  he  meant  by  it  not  only  the  Ten 
Commandments,  but  all  the  little  rules  of  the 
ceremonial  law.  This  lawyer  was  a  Pharisee, 
but  he  really  wished  to  know  what  the  rabbi 
would  say.  Jesus  answered,  "  There  are  two. 
The  first  is,  ^  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
and  with  all  thy  mind.'  The  second  is,  ^  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.'  "  The 
lawyer  looked  at  him  earnestly  and  said, 
"  Rabbi,  you  have  said  what  is  true.  To  love 
God  is  more  than  burnt  offerings  and  sacri- 
fices." This  was  a  very  brave  speech  to  make 
when  all  the  Pharisees  were  listening  and 
watching  him,  and  Jesus  knew  it.  He  looked 
at  him   as   kindly  as   he   had  looked  at  the 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  305 

young  ruler  and  said,  "  You  are  not  far  from 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

The  Pharisees  had  asked  many  questions  to 
try  to  catch  Jesus  and  had  failed.  He 
wished  to  make  the  people  see  even  more 
clearly  that  the  Pharisees  were  not  good  lead- 
ers, and  that  when  they  declared  they  could 
tell  what  the  Scriptures  meant,  they  must  not 
be  trusted,  so  he  asked  them,  "  Whose  son  is 
the  Christ  ?  "  They  answered  promptly,  "  The 
son  of  David."  Then  said  Jesus,  "But  in 
the  Psalms  David  calls  him  ^  Lord.'  How 
does  it  come  about  that  a  man  calls  his  son 
*  Lord '  ?  "  The  Pharisees  could  not  answer, 
for  if  they  had  said  that  David  called  Christ 
"  Lord  "  because  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus 
would  have  replied,  "  Then  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  is  not  an  earthly  kingdom,  and  your 
teachings  are  wrong."  They  were  silent,  and 
after  this  no  one  ventured  to  try  to  catch  him 
with  questions. 

There  was  little  hope  that  many  of  the 
Pharisees  would  repent,  but  Jesus  was  anxious 
that  the  people  should  not  follow  them,  so 
he  now  told  plainly  what  the  scribes  and 
the  Pharisees  did  that  was  wrong.  He  said, 
"  They  are  priests  and  have  authority,  there- 


306  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

fore  obey  their  decisions,  but  do  not  make 
your  lives  like  theirs.  They  like  to  wear  long 
robes  and  broad  phylacteries,  so  that  men  may 
know  them  a  long  way  off.  They  like  to  sit 
in  the  chief  seats  at  feasts  and  in  the  highest 
places  in  the  synagogues.  They  like  to  have 
men  bow  down  before  them  seven  times  in  the 
marketplace,  and  to  be  spoken  to  as '  Teacher.' 
Do  not  let  any  one  of  you  claim  to  be  the 
teacher,  or  leader  of  the  people,  or  master,  for 
I  am  your  teacher  and  leader  and  master.  Do 
not  try  to  have  men  honor  you.  Whosoever 
shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  humbled  ;  and  who- 
soever shall  humble  himself  shall  be  exalted. 
Let  the  one  who  wishes  to  be  really  the  greatest 
try  to  serve  others  most." 

Then  he  spoke  these  words  directly  to  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees :  "  Woe  unto  you,  for 
you  do  not  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  your- 
selves, and  you  keep  other  men  out.  You 
call  for  a  tax  on  every  herb  of  the  garden, 
but  you  pay  no  regard  to  the  great  matters  of 
the  law,  justice  and  mercy  and  faith.  You 
purify  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  the  plat- 
ter, but  they  are  fovd  within.  You  are  like 
tombs,  which  are  fair  and  white  on  the  out- 
side, while  within  they  are  full  of  dead  men's 


THE  BOYS  SING  PRAISES  307 

bones ;  for  you  appear  righteous,  but  your 
hearts  are  full  of  evil  thoughts  and  wishes. 
You  say,  '  If  we  had  been  alive  in  the  olden 
times,  we  should  not  have  slain  the  prophets, 
as  our  fathers  did  ; '  but  you  are  in  heart  just 
like  your  fathers.  You  will  slay  me,  and 
when  those  come  among  you  whom  I  shall 
send  to  teach  you,  you  will  drive  them  from 
city  to  city,  or  scourge  them  or  kill  them. 
Men  like  you  are  to  blame  for  all  the  wicked- 
ness and  murder  that  there  has  been  on  the 
earth."  Then  Jesus  thought  of  Jerusalem,  the 
city  that  he  loved.  He  looked  out  upon  it  from 
between  the  great  pillars  of  the  Temple  and 
cried,  "  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that 
killest  the  prophets  and  stonest  them  which 
are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and 
ye  would  not.  Ye  ^hall  not  see  me  hence- 
forth, till  ye  shall  say,  *  Blessed  is  he  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ! '  " 


XX 

FAREWELL    TO    THE    TEMPLE 

Jesus  was  about  to  leave  the  Temple,  and  he 
had  loved  it  for  so  many  years  that  it  was 
very  hard  for  him  to  say  farewell.  He  went 
down  the  steps  from  where  he  had  been 
speaking-  to  the  great  open  space  called  the 
Women's  Court,  and  there  he  sat  down  to  rest 
and  to  look  about  the  building  for  the  last 
time.  In  this  court  were  thirteen  great  chests 
shaped  like  trumpets.  These  were  called  the 
treasury,  for  into  them  people  dropped  their 
gifts.  Jesus  watched  the  stream  of  givers  go 
up  to  the  chests,  put  in  their  money,  and  then 
pass  on.  He  saw  that  many  of  those  who  gave 
large  sums  held  the  coins  so  that  the  bystand- 
ers could  see  how  many  there  were  and  could 
hear  them  jingle  as  they  fell.  After  a  while 
a  poor  widow  came  up  timidly  and  dropped  in 
two  mites,  the  smallest  coins  that  were  used. 
Jesus  called  his  disciples  and  told  them  what 


312  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

he  had  seen.  "  This  poor  woman  has  really 
given  more  than  all  the  rest,"  he  declared, 
"  for  they  gave  what  they  would  never  miss, 
but  she  gave  the  money  that  was  to  have 
bought  her  food." 

Jesus  had  risen  to  leave  the  Temple  when 
Phihp  and  Andrew  came  to  him  and  said, 
"  Master,  there  are  some  Greeks  outside  who 
wish  to  see  you."  These  Greeks  were  men 
who  beheved  in  God  and  had  come  up  to  Je- 
rusalem to  keep  the  Passover.  Just  what  they 
asked  of  Jesus  no  one  knows,  but  we  do  know 
that  their  coming  made  him  very  happy,  for 
after  the  long,  hard  day  with  his  enemies,  he 
was  glad  to  meet  these  friends  from  another 
land,  and  to  see  that  his  Gospel  was  begin- 
ning to  be  known  among  those  whose  homes 
were  far  away.  They  must  have  lingered  to 
hear  him  speak,  for  once  more  he  spoke  to 
the  multitude.  "  The  time  is  come,"  he  said, 
"  when  I  shall  be  glorified.  You  know  that 
if  a  grain  of  wheat  is  in  the  light,  it  does  not 
grow  and  produce  other  grains ;  while  if  it  is 
put  into  the  dark  earth,  it  seems  to  die,  but 
it  is  really  only  producing  much  fruit.  So 
it  is  with  people,  for  if  a  man  loves  his  life 
more  than  he  loves  me,  it  will  be  worthless; 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  TEMPLE  313 

but  if  he  loves  me  so  much  that  he  is  wiUing 
to  give  up  his  life  for  my  sake,  then  he  will 
live  forever,  for  my  Father  will  honor  any  one 
who  serves  me." 

Then  Jesus  thougf'ht  of  the  death  that  he 
was  so  soon  to  die.  He  loved  to  be  with  his 
friends.  He  loved  the  trees  and  the  birds 
and  the  mountains,  the  feasts  and  rejoicings, 
the  strong*  men  and  the  little  children.  He 
remembered  that  he  should  soon  leave  them. 
He  thouoht  of  what  he  was  about  to  suffer, 
and  for  a  moment  he  forgot  the  crowd  around 
him.  "  0  my  Father,"  he  cried,  "  I  am  in 
sorrow.  I  cannot  pray,  *  Save  me  from  the 
suffering  that  is  to  come  upon  me,'  for  this  is 
why  I  am  here.  Father,  glorify  thy  name." 
The  people  all  around  were  so  stiU  that  one 
could  almost  hear  them  breathe,  and  as  Jesus 
stood  with  his  eyes  turned  up  to  heaven,  a 
sound  that  they  had  never  heard  before  echoed 
through  the  sky.  They  looked  at  one  another. 
"  What  was  it  ?  "  they  whispered.  "  It  was 
like  thunder,"  declared  some,  but  others  said, 
"  See  his  face  !  An  angel  has  spoken  to  him." 
The  voice  out  of  heaven  had  answered  Jesus' 
prayer,  for  it  had  said,  "  I  have  glorified  my 
name,  and  I  will  glorify  it  again." 


314  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

Then  Jesus  said  to  the  people,  "  This  voice 
has  come  for  your  sake."  He  told  them  about 
his  death.  He  said,  "  If  I  am  lifted  up,  all 
men  will  become  my  followers."  "  Lifted  uf>  " 
meant  "  crucified,"  because  the  one  who  was 
to  die  on  the  cross  was  first  fastened  to  it  and 
then  raised,  and  the  multitude  cried,  "  But 
the  Christ  will  live  forever.  What  do  you 
mean  by  saying  that  he  will  be  crucified  ?  " 
Jesus  answered  only,  "  The  light  will  be  with 
you  but  a  httle  while.  Beheve  in  it  so  that 
you  may  become  children  of  the  light." 

John  said  long  afterwards  that  many  of 
the  rulers  were  convinced  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ,  but  did  not  dare  to  say  so  for  fear 
the  Pharisees  would  put  them  "out  of  the 
synagogue."  Some  of  these  rulers  must  have 
followed  Jesus  as  he  went  slowly  toward  the 
outer  gate  of  the  Temple,  and  he  could  not 
leave  them  without  trying  once  more  to  per- 
suade them  to  be  brave  and  true.  "Believing 
in  me,"  he  said,  "  is  the  same  as  believing  in 
my  Father.  I  am  come  into  the  world  only 
as  a  light  to  show  the  way  to  the  Father.  I 
am  not  here  to  judge  the  world.  Even  if 
one  who  hears  me  has  no  faith  in  my  words, 
I  do  not  judge  him ;    I    say  only  what  my 


FAREWELL  TO   THE   TEMPLE  315 

Father  has  told  me  to  say,  and  he  will  be  the 
judge." 

Then  Jesus  went  out  from  the  Temple  for 
the  last  time,  and  as  he  was  going  down  the 
hill,  one  of  the  disciples  said, "  See,  Master,  how 
beautiful  the  Temple  is  !  What  magnificent 
buildings!  See  the  great  blocks  of  red  and 
white  marble!  "  "But  the  day  will  come,"  re- 
plied Jesus, "  when  every  one  of  these  shall  be 
torn  from  its  place.  Not  one  stone  will  be  left  on 
another."  The  disciples  could  not  understand. 
They  could  not  believe  he  meant  exactly  what 
he  said,  and  so  they  thought  his  words  must 
be  a  sort  of  parable.  They  talked  of  them  as 
they  left  the  city,  and  when  they  were  resting 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  Peter  and  James  and 
John  and  Andrew  came  to  him  a  little  apart 
from  the  others  and  asked,  "  Master,  will  you 
not  tell  us  when  these  things  will  be  ?  How 
shall  we  know  when  they  are  coming  to  pass, 
when  your  rule  will  begin,  and  the  end  of  the 
world  will  come  ?  "  They  were  beginning  to 
understand  that  Jesus  must  die,  but  he  had 
said  that  he  should  rise  again,  and  that  Elijah, 
whose  cominsr  was  to  be  before  the  resurrec- 
tion,  had  already  come,  for  John  the  baptizer 
was  the  Elijah  of  the  time.     They  could  not 


316  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

think  that  the  Temple  would  be  destroyed 
before  the  end  of  the  world.  They  were  con- 
fused and  puzzled.  When  Jesus  answered 
them,  they  could  not  understand  him,  for  he 
talked  to  them  about  his  own  resurrection  and 
about  the  end  of  the  world,  and  they  could 
not  tell  which  of  his  words  referred  to  one  and 
which  to  the  other. 

Jesus  cared  much  more  about  their  being 
faithful  and  brave  than  about  their  under- 
standing when  the  end  of  the  world  was  com- 
ing, and  he  told  them,  as  he  had  told  them 
more  than  once  before,  how  much  they  would 
have  to  suffer,  that  they  would  be  hated  and 
scourged  and  put  to  death.  He  warned  them, 
"  Many  will  come  in  my  name  and  say, '  Listen 
to  me,  for  I  am  the  Christ,'  but  be  careful 
that  none  of  these  lead  you  to  do  anything 
different  from  what  I  have  taught  you."  He 
spoke  also  of  the  ruin  that  was  to  come  to 
Jerusalem.  "  When  you  see  armies  round 
about  the  city,"  he  said,  "  then  you  will  know 
that  it  is  soon  to  be  overthrown.  The  Jews 
will  be  put  to  death  or  taken  captive,  and  there 
will  be  such  suffering  as  there  has  never  been 
in  the  world." 

Before  forty  years  had  gone,  these  sayings 


FAREWELL  TO   THE   TEMPLE  317 

of  Jesus  about  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  all 
came  to  pass,  but  to  the  disciples  they  seemed 
as  impossible  and  as  mysterious  as  what  he 
told  them  about  the  end  of  the  world.  "  Be- 
fore that  comes,"  he  said,  "there  will  be  ter- 
rible earthquakes  and  famines  and  sickness. 
Strange  sights  will  be  seen  in  the  heavens,  for 
the  sun  and  the  moon  will  give  no  light,  and 
the  stars  will  fall  from  their  places.  Then  I 
shall  come  with  power  and  glory.  There  will 
be  the  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  men  will  fear 
and  tremble ;  but  those  who  love  me  need  not 
fear,  for  the  angels  will  gather  them  together 
from  wherever  they  may  be,  and  the  time  of 
their  rejoicing  will  be  near.  No  one  but  my 
Father  knows  when  that  time  will  be.  Just 
as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  when  no  one 
beheved  that  there  would  be  a  flood  until  it 
came  and  swept  them  away,  so  no  one  will  be 
expecting  the  last  day  to  come.  Watch, 
therefore,  and  be  ready  every  day.  If  the 
master  of  a  house  wishes  to  be  safe  from 
thieves,  he  must  guard  his  house  all  the  time  : 
so  if  you  wish  to  be  ready  for  my  coming,  you 
must  be  always  ready.  Be  like  a  good  servant 
who  obeys  his  master's  orders  and  is  ready  for 
his  coming,  for  he  will  be  rewarded.     Do  not 


318  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

be  like  an  unfaithful  servant  who  says  to  him- 
self, *  My  master  is  away  a  long  time,  perhaps 
he  will  never  come/  and  begins  to  drink  and  to 
beat  and  abuse  those  who  are  under  him.  I  will 
tell  you  what  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  is 
like.  There  were  once  ten  young  girls  who  were 
going  out  with  the  bride  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom. Their  torches  were  burning  brightly, 
and  they  sang  and  danced  as  they  went  along 
the  way.  It  chanced  that  the  bridegroom  was 
late,  and  they  did  not  know  when  he  would 
come,  so  they  went  into  a  house  to  rest,  and 
after  a  while  they  fell  asleep.  At  midnight 
they  heard  a  cry,  ^  The  bridegroom  is  coming ! 
Come  out  quickly  to  meet  him  !  '  and  they  all 
trimmed  their  torches  and  started  to  run  out 
of  the  door.  Now  five  of  these  young  girls 
had  been  wise  and  had  brought  oil  with  them, 
because  they  did  not  know  how  long  they 
might  have  to  wait ;  but  five  were  so  foolish 
that  they  had  brought  only  the  oil  that  was  in 
their  torches,  and  the  bridegroom  had  delayed 
so  long  that  their  torches  had  gone  out. 
'  Give  us  some  of  your  oil,'  they  begged  of  the 
five  that  were  wise  ;  but  the  five  said,  ^  We 
must  not,  for  we  have  not  enough  for  both  you 
and  ourselves,  and  we  cannot  leave  the  bride 


FAREWELL   TO  THE   TEMPLE  319 

in  the  dark  road  without  a  light.  Go  to  those 
who  sell  oil  and  buy  some.'  While  the  five 
had  gone  to  buy  oil,  the  bridegroom  came. 
Those  whose  torches  were  burning  went  in  to 
the  feast,  and  the  door  was  shut.  The  other 
young  girls  came  later,  and  they  called  to  the 
bridegroom,  '  Sir,  sir,  open  the  door  to  us ; ' 
but  he  said,  ^The  maidens  who  came  with  my 
bride  are  already  here.  I  do  not  know  who 
you  are.'  So  it  will  be,"  said  Jesus,  "  with 
men  who  are  watching  for  my  coming.  Those 
who  are  ready  for  me  and  who  wait  patiently 
will  share  in  my  kingdom ;  but  those  who  are 
not  true  to  me  will  have  no  part  in  it." 

Jesus  told  them  again  the  parable  of  the 
ten  servants  to  whom  their  lord  gave  money 
to  use  for  him  while  he  was  away  on  a  journey. 
Then  he  said,  "  When  I  come,  those  who  have 
been  true  to  me  and  have  tried  to  do  what  I 
would  have  done  in  their  places  will  be  put 
on  my  right  hand  ;  but  those  who  have  not 
will  be  put  on  my  left.  I  shall  separate  them 
as  a  shepherd  would  separate  sheep  and  goats. 
Then  I  shall  say  to  those  on  my  right, 
'  Come  into  the  kingdom  that  was  made  ready 
for  you  when  the  world  began  ;  for  you  gave 
me  meat  when  I  was  hungry  and  drink  when 


320  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

I  was  thirsty  ;  you  took  me  into  your  houses  ; 
you  gave  me  clothes ;  and  when  I  was  sick 
and  in  prison,  you  came  to  visit  me.'  They 
will  be  surprised  and  will  ask:  'But,  Lord, 
when  did  we  see  you  hungry  and  feed  you,  or 
thirsty  and  give  you  drink  ?  When  did  we 
take  you  into  our  houses  or  give  you  clothes, 
and  when  did  we  see  you  sick  or  in  prison 
and  come  to  visit  you  ?  '  " 

Then  Jesus  looked  tenderly  upon  his  dis- 
ciples and  said,  "  I  shall  say  to  them,  '  When- 
ever you  have  been  kind  to  even  the  least 
of  my  disciples,  you  have  been  kind  to  me, 
your  king.'  But  to  those  who  are  on  my  left 
I  shall  say,  '  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave 
me  no  food  ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  me 
no  drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  you  would 
not  shelter  me  ;  I  needed  clothes,  and  you 
would  not  give  them  to  me ;  even  when  I  was 
sick  and  in  prison,  you  would  not  visit  me.' 
They  will  answer,  '  Lord,  when  did  we  ever 
see  you  hungry  or  thirsty  or  a  stranger  or  in 
need  of  clothes  or  sick  or  in  prison  and  did 
not  help  you  ?  '  Then  I  shall  say, '  When  you 
refused  to  help  even  the  least  of  my  disciples, 
you  refused  to  help  me.  There  is  no  place 
for  you  in  my  kingdom.'  " 


FAREWELL   TO   THE   TEMPLE  321 

Jesus  had  told  his  followers  much  that  they 
did  not  understand,  but  it  was  clear  to  them 
that  some  time  they  would  be  very  happy 
if  they  were  only  faithful  to  their  Master. 
He  never  forgot,  how^ever,  that  they  must  be 
prepared  for  the  grief  that  would  come  to  them 
so  soon,  and  therefore  he  said  to  them  very 
tenderly,  "  Children,  do  not  forget  that  after 
two  days  the  Passover  comes,  when  I  shall  be 
crucified." 

While  Jesus  was  talking  with  his  disciples, 
the  council  had  met  in  the  palace  of  Caiaphas. 
The  chief  priests  and  elders  were  there,  and 
they  had  come  together  to  decide  how  they 
could  take  Jesus  and  put  him  to  death.  "  If 
we  do  not  take  him  now,"  said  one,  "  he  will 
leave  the  city.  His  follow^ers  will  hide  him, 
and  he  will  escape."  "  But  there  are  hundreds 
of  thousands  here  now  who  believe  in  him,"  ob- 
jected another.  "  They  would  make  an  uproar 
and  rise  up  against  us.  There  would  be  such 
a  riot  that  the  Roman  armies  would  dash  down 
upon  our  city  and  trample  it  under  their  feet. 
Our  people  would  be  scattered  and  sold  as 
slaves  in  distant  lands."  ^^  But  we  must  not  let 
him  escape,"  declared  a  third,  ^^and,  Caiaphas, 
it  was  you  yourself  who  said  that  one  should 


322  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

die  for  all."  "  I  did,  and  I  say  it  again,"  replied 
Caiaphas  ;  "  but  we  must  act  wisely.  It  is  well 
for  one  man  to  die  for  the  nation,  but  it  is 
not  well  for  the  nation  to  die  with  hun.  We 
will  wait  till  the  Passover  is  ended,"  and  so 
they  all  agreed  ;  but  they  lingered  for  a  long 
time  talking  of  how  a  watch  might  be  kept  so 
that  Jesus  should  not  leave  Jerusalem  after 
the  feast,  how  he  might  be  pursued  if  he  did 
escape,  and  what  charges  they  would  bring 
against  him. 

Before  these  men  were  done  talking  in  the 
palace  of  Caiaphas,  Jesus  and  all  his  disciples 
but  one  were  sleeping  in  the  village  of  Beth- 
any. That  one  had  slipped  away  from  among 
them,  and  was  hastening  over  the  path  that 
wound  about  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Through  the  city  he  went,  up  the  street 
that  led  to  the  Temple.  He  looked  back  over 
his  shoulder,  for  he  thought  he  heard  some  one 
stealing  up  behind  him,  but  there  was  no  one. 
At  the  gate  of  the  Temple  he  was  stopped 
by  the  guard.  "  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  called. 
"  Judas,"  he  answered,  in  a  voice  that  trembled 
and  sounded  strange  even  to  himself.  "  Who 
is  Judas  ?  Here  's  Judas,"  said  the  guards  to 
each  other  with  a  jeering  laugh.     "  Did  you 


FAREWELL   TO   THE   TEMPLE  323 

ever  hear  of  Judas  ? "  "I  want  to  see  Caia- 
phas,"  said  Judas.  "  So  do  the  council,"  said 
the  guards  scofBngly,  "  Do  you  belong  to  the 
council  ?  "  Suddenly  Judas  turned  upon  them. 
"  Call  the  captain  of  the  guard,"  he  said,  "  and 
if  you  refuse,  you  will  repent."  The  two  sol- 
diers whispered  together  for  a  moment.  This 
man  might  have  a  message  ;  they  would  call 
the  captain. 

When  the  captain  came,  he  took  Judas  to  an 
inner  room,  and  there  he  heard  his  errand. 
"  Come  with  me,"  he  whispered,  and  he  led 
him  to  the  palace  of  Caiaphas  and  to  the  room 
in  which  the  council  were  still  assembled ; 
but  the  captain  held  his  robe  closely  wrapped 
about  him,  lest  even  its  hem  should  touch  the 
garment  of  a  traitor. 

When  Judas  came  away  from  the  palace  of 
Caiaphas,  he  had  promised  the  council  that  he 
would  arrange  to  give  up  Jesus  to  them  at 
some  time  when  he  was  apart  from  the  multi- 
tude and  could  be  taken  without  any  uproar 
among  the  people.  Then  Judas  went  quickly 
back  over  the  hills  to  Bethany,  and  lay  down 
in  his  bed,  clutching  the  bosom  of  his  gar- 
ment, for  there  lay  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the 
reward  that  the  council  had  given  him  for  his 


324  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

treachery,  and  he  was  afraid  that  their  chnking 
would  awaken  the  Master  whom  he  had  pro- 
mised to  betray. 

No  one  knows  why  Judas  did  such  a  deed. 
Thirty  pieces  of  silver  was  a  large  sum  to  him, 
and  he  may  have  made  himself  a  traitor  only 
for  the  money.  All  the  disciples  expected 
Jesus  to  sit  upon  a  throne  and  give  them 
power  and  wealth,  but  the  other  eleven  had 
learned  to  love  him  so  much  that  they  cared 
far  more  for  him  than  for  any  riches.  Judas 
never  did  love  him,  or  he  would  not  have 
thought  that  the  perfume  which  Mary  poured 
upon  his  head  and  feet  was,  wasted ;  and 
when  he  found  that  following  Jesus  would 
bring  him  only  scorn  and  danger  instead  of 
power,  perhaps  he  thought  himself  very  keen 
and  shrewd  to  get  some  money  from  the  priests 
and  also  make  sure  that  they  would  not  perse- 
cute him.  He  knew  that  Jesus  had  power  to 
place  himself  upon  a  throne,  if  he  chose,  and 
perhaps  he  thought  that  if  his  Master  was 
really  taken  prisoner,  and  was  in  danger  of 
being  put  to  death,  he  would  show  his  power 
and  would  conquer  the  world.  Whatever  the 
reason  was,  Judas  did  the  wicked  deed. 


■■-f 


^r^^-  /f>, 


■'A 


\ 


XXI 

THE  PASSOVER  SUPPER 

We  do  not  know  wliat  Jesus  did  during  the 
Wednesday  of  that  last  sad  week,  but  he 
probably  stayed  in  Bethany  with  his  disciples, 
his  dear  friends  at  the  house  of  Lazarus,  and 
his  mother. 

Thursday  morning  the  disciples  asked  their 
Master,  "  Where  shall  we  eat  the  Passover 
supper  ?  In  Bethany  ?  "  Even  the  rabbis 
called  Bethany  a  part  of  Jerusalem  at  the 
time  of  the  Passover,  and  the  disciples  hoped 
Jesus  would  be  satisfied  to  remain  in  the  vil- 
lage, where  there  was  so  much  less  danger. 
But  he  answered,  "  No,  go  up  to  Jerusalem, 
and  as  you  enter  the  city,  you  will  meet  a  man 
carrying  a  pitcher  of  water.  Follow  him,  and 
when  he  goes  into  a  house  go  after  him  and 
say  to  the  master  of  the  house,  '  The  Teacher 
wishes  us  to  tell  you  that  his  time  is  near,  and 
he  woidd  hke  to  eat  the  Passover  supper  in 


328  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

your  guest  room  with  his  disciples.'  He  will 
show  you  a  large  upper  room  with  table  aud 
couches,  and  there  we  will  eat  the  supper." 

Peter  and  John  went  to  Jerusalem,  aud  all 
things  came  to  pass  as  Jesus  had  said.  The 
lamb  had  been  bought  four  days  earlier,  as  the 
law  required,  and  soon  after  the  hour  of  noon 
the  two  men  carried  it  to  the  Temple,  for  it 
must  be  killed  within  the  Temple.  The  blood 
was  poured  out  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  the 
fat  and  some  of  the  inward  parts  were  given 
to  the  priests  to  burn  on  the  altar  as  an  offer- 
ing to  God.  Then  Peter  and  John  left  the 
Temple,  carrying  the  body  of  the  lamb.  "  Pass- 
over ovens,"  made  of  clay  and  of  a  peculiar 
shape,  were  for  sale  in  many  places  in  the  city. 
They  bought  one  of  these  and  set  it  up  on  the 
ground  over  a  fire.  In  it  they  put  the  lamb 
to  roast  for  the  supper.  It  was  a  busy  day, 
for  there  were  other  things  needed  for  the 
meal,  —  unleavened  bread  made  into  dry,  thin 
cakes,  wine,  oil,  salt,  vinegar,  figs,  dates, 
spices,  almonds,  and  bitter  herbs,  such  as 
chicory,  wild  lettuce,  or  nettles. 

When  sunset  came,  all  Jerusalem  listened 
for  the  blast  of  trumpets  to  tell  that  Friday, 
the   day  of  the   Passover,  had  come.     Then 


JESUS   BIDDING   HIS   MOTHER   FAREWELL 


THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER  329 

the  whole  city  watched  for  the  coming  of  the 
stars,  for  as  soon  as  they  began  to  shine,  the 
meal  mio-ht  be  eaten. 

Jesus  and  his  disciples  went  to    the  room 
where  they  were  to  keep  the  feast.     Every- 
thing was  ready.     There  stood  the  table  and 
the  three  couches  around  it.     Jesus  was  in  the 
place  of  honor.     Next  him  was  John,  a  disci- 
ple  whom   he    loved   especially.     They   wore 
holiday  clothes,  for  it  was  commanded  that  at 
Passover   time  people   should   be  merry  and 
glad.     When  all  were  in  their  places,  Jesus 
looked  around  the  table  and  said,   "I  have 
longed  to  eat  this  Passover  with  you,  for  it  is 
the  last  time  that  I  shall  eat  it  until  its  mean- 
ing is  made  clear  in  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Then  he  rose,  and  without  a  word  of  explana- 
tion he  poured  water  into  a  basin,  took  up  a 
towel,  and  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  Peter ; 
but  Peter  said,  "  Master,  what  is  this  ?  "  and 
he  drew  back  his  feet.     "  I  will  tell  you  after 
a  while,"  said  Jesus.     "  You  shall  never  wash 
my  feet,"  exclaimed  Peter.     "  Then  you  will 
have  no  share  vnth.  me,"  answered  Jesus,  and 
Peter  cried,  "  0  Master,  then  wash  my  feet 
and  my  hands  and  my  head."     Jesus  looked 
kindly  at  him  and  said;  "  No,  Peter,  he  who 


330  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

lias  been  bathed  is  clean  and  needs  only  to  wash 
the  dust  of  the  road  from  his  feet.  You,  my 
discij)les,  are  clean,  —  and  yet,  not  every  one," 
he  added  sadly.  No  one  ventured  to  object 
after  this,  and  Jesus  went  from  one  to  another, 
bathed  their  feet,  and  wiped  them  with  the 
towel.  There  was  not  a  sound  in  the  room  as 
they  looked  at  him  to  see  what  he  would  do. 
He  took  his  place  again  on  the  couch  and  said, 
"Do  you  understand  what  I  have  done?" 
They  looked  puzzled,  and  even  Peter  had  not 
a  word  to  say.  Jesus  went  on,  "  You  call  me 
'  Lord  '  and  '  Master,'  and  you  are  right,  for 
so  I  am.  Then  if  I,  your  Lord  and  Master, 
have  taken  the  place  of  the  humblest  slave  and 
have  washed  your  feet,  you  must  not  be  unwill- 
ing to  serve  one  another  as  meekly  as  I  have 
served  you.  A  servant  is  not  greater  than  his 
master.  Let  him  who  wishes  to  be  greatest 
serve  most." 

The  disciples  felt  much  ashamed,  for  even 
in  taking  their  seats  at  the  table  some  of  them 
had  tried  to  make  sure  of  the  higher  places. 
They  looked  down  on  the  floor  and  were  very 
sorry.  Jesus  saw  that  they  were  sorry,  and  he 
spoke  to  them  tenderly,  for  this  was  the  last 
time  that  they  would  eat  together  before  he 


p 

< 


THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER  331 

was  crucified,  and  he  could  not  bear  to  grieve 
them.  He  added,  "  If  you  do  as  I  have  bid- 
den you,  you  will  be  blessed,  and  you  will 
have  honor  in  my  kingdom,  for  you  are  the 
ones  that  have  stayed  with  me  through  my 
trials."  Their  faces  brightened,  but  there 
was  one  thing,  harder  than  anything  else,  that 
he  must  tell  them.  He  looked  from  one  to 
another  and  said,  "  I  am  speaking  of  those  of 
you  whom  I  chose,  but  not  of  all."  Then  his 
voice  became  so  low  that  they  could  but  just 
hear  his  words.  All  through  their  lives  they 
remembered  how  still  the  room  was,  how  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  outside  rustled  in  the  breeze, 
and  how,  while  they  listened  so  intently  that 
they  hardly  breathed,  Jesus  said,  "  One  of  you 
will  betray  me." 

After  a  moment  the  men  looked  at  one 
another.  They  could  not  believe  it,  and  yet 
the  Master  had  said  it.  He  had  often  puz- 
zled them.  They  had  expected  him  to  sit  on 
a  throne,  and  he  had  said  that  his  kingdom 
was  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  loved  him. 
They  had  expected  riches  and  power,  and  he 
had  told  them  that  they  would  have  poverty 
and  suffering.  They  had  expected  to  have 
long  years  of  happiness  with  him,  and  he  had 


332  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

said,  "  After  two  days  I  shall  be  put  to  death." 
They  had  thought  nothing  could  be  harder  to 
bear,  but  now  he  had  told  them  of  something 
even  worse,  that  one  of  their  own  number  would 
be  the  traitor  who  would  bring  him  to  his 
death.  "  There  is  only  one  thing  beyond  the 
horror  of  his  being  betrayed,"  thought  those 
who  loved  him,  "  and  that  is  that  I  should  be 
the  one  to  betray  him,"  and  some  of  them 
began  to  ask  him  in  low  tones  of  fear,  "  Is  it 
I,  Lord  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  It  is  one  of 
you  who  are  at  the  table  with  me.  I  must 
suffer,  for  so  it  was  prophesied,  but  it  would 
be  better  for  the  one  who  will  betray  me  if  he 
had  never  been  born."  "  Is  it  I  ?  "  "  Is  it 
I  ?  "  others  asked,  and  Peter  made  a  sign  to 
John  to  ask  who  it  was.  John  leaned  back, 
and  looking  up  over  his  shoulder  into  Jesus' 
face  he  whispered,  "  Lord,  who  is  it  ?  "  Jesus 
could  not  bear  to  speak  the  name  of  the  trai- 
tor, and  he  answered,  "It  is  he  to  whom  I 
shall  give  a  sop."  A  "  sop  "  was  a  piece  of 
the  Passover  bread  dipped  into  the  dish  of 
meat.  The  one  who  dipped  it  would  take  up 
a  little  of  the  meat  on  it  and  give  it  to  some 
one  at  the  table  as  a  courtesy.  Jesus  now  gave 
a  sop  to  Judas,  and  looked  into  his  face  as  if  he 


THE   PASSOVER  SUPPER  333 

were  saying-,  "  Will  you  not  repent  even  now  ?  " 
Judas  tried  to  look  as  if  he  did  not  under- 
stand, and  asked,  as  the  others  had  done, 
"  Rabbi,  is  it  I  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  It  is." 
Now  either  no  one  at  the  table  except  John 
heard  the  answer,  or  else  they  could  hardly, 
even  then,  beheve  that  one  who  had  been 
among  them  so  long  would  do  such  a  thing; 
for  John  declared  afterwards  that  not  one  of 
them  knew  what  Jesus  meant  when,  a  few 
minutes  later,  he  turned  to  Judas  and  said, 
"  That  thou  doest,  do  quickly."  They  all  sup- 
posed that,  because  Judas  carried  the  bag  in 
which  the  money  was  kept  for  their  expenses, 
he  had  been  sent  out  to  buy  .whatever  else 
they  might  need  for  the  feast,  or  perhaps  to 
give  something  to  the  poor. 

Judas  left  the  table  and  went  from  the 
room.  Then  Jesus  was  alone  with  those  who 
loved  him.  They  went  on  with  the  Passover 
meal.  A  cup  of  red  wine  mixed  with  water  was 
brought  in  and  given  to  him.  He  gave  thanks 
for  it,  tasted  it,  and  passed  it  to  the  others. 
Then  he  took  a  stalk  of  the  bitter  herbs  and 
dipped  it  into  a  dish  filled  with  dates,  raisins, 
and  other  fruits,  over  which  vinegar  had  been 
poured.    He  ate  a  bit  of  the  herb  and  passed 


334  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

the  stem  to  the  next,  and  so  on  until  it  had 
gone  around  the  table. 

The  meal  went  on  much  as  all  these  men 
had  seen  it  every  year  of  their  lives,  but  when 
every  rule  that  the  law  required  had  been 
obeyed,  Jesus  took  bread,  gave  God  thanks  for 
it,  and  broke  it.  He  gave  it  to  the  disciples 
saying,  "  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body  which  is 
given  for  you :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me." 
Then  he  took  a  cup  of  the  Passover  wine,  gave 
thanks,  and  said,  "  This  is  my  blood  of  the  new 
covenant  which  is  shed  for  many.  Drink  all 
ye  of  it.  I  shall  drink  it  no  more  until  you 
are  with  me  in  my  Father's  kingdom." 

This  was  the  last  opportunity  that  Jesus 
would  have  to  talk  with  his  disciples  before 
his  death,  and  he  had  many  things  to  tell  them. 
"  Little  children,"  he  began,  "  I  shall  soon  be 
glorified,  and  God  will  be  glorified  in  me.  I 
shall  be  with  you  only  a  little  while.  Then 
I  shall  go  away,  and  you  cannot  follow  me. 
You  know  how  much  I  have  always  loved 
you  ;  now  I  give  you  my  command  to  love 
one  another  just  as  much,  so  that  men  may 
say  of  you,  *  They  are  the  disciples  of  Jesus, 
for  they  love  one  another.'  "  They  could  not 
believe  that  Jesus  meant  he  should  die,  and 


THE  PASSOVER  SUPPER  335 

Peter  could  not  help  crying  out,  "Lord, 
where  are  you  gomg?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I 
am  going  where  you  cannot  go  now,  but  you 
shall  follow  me  later  ;  "  and  he  said  to  them 
all,  "  This  night "  —  for  as  it  was  after  sunset, 
Friday  had  already  begun  —  "  this  night  you 
shall  all  doubt  me,  but  after  I  am  raised  up,  I 
will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  Peter  cried, 
"  Lord,  I  will  never  doubt  you."  Then  said 
Jesus,  "  Peter,  I  have  prayed  for  you  that  your 
faith  may  not  fail."  "  0  Master,"  Peter  ex- 
claimed, "  why  cannot  I  follow  you  now  ?  I 
am  ready  to  go  to  prison  or  to  death  for  you." 
Jesus  answered,  "  But,  Peter,  this  very  night, 
before  the  cock  has  crowed  twice,  you  will 
deny  me  three  times."  "  Never,  Master, 
never,"  declared  Peter.  "  I  will  die  with  you 
if  need  be,  but  I  will  not  deny  you."  So  de- 
clared each  one  of  the  eleven. 

Jesus  talked  with  them  awhile  of  what  they 
would  need  when  they  went  out  to  tell  others 
about  his  kingdom,  but  what  he  wished  most 
to  do  was  to  say  something  that  would  com- 
fort them  when  he  was  gone.  "  Do  not  be 
troubled,"  he  said.  "  You  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  me  and  trust  me.  I  am  going 
away  from  you  to  make  a  place  ready  for  you 


336  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

in  my  Father's  house,  so  that  you  may  come 
and  be  with  me.  You  know  the  way  to  where 
I  am  going." 

Even  then  it  was  hard  for  them  to  under- 
stand that  he  was  talking  of  dying,  and 
Thomas  asked,  "  But,  Lord,  you  did  not  tell 
us  where  you  were  going,  and  how  can  we 
know  the  way  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I  am  the 
way  and  the  truth  and  the  life.  No  one  can 
come  to  my  Father  but  by  me.  You  know 
my  Father  and  have  seen  him."  Phili]3  said, 
"  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  we  will  ask 
no  more."  Jesus  replied,  "  Have  I  been  with 
you  so  long,  Philip,  and  you  do  not  know  me  ? 
He  who  has  seen  me  has  seen  the  Father. 
Remember  the  miracles  that  I  have  shown 
you,  and  believe  me  for  them.  You  shall  do 
even  greater  things  than  those,  for  whatever 
you  ask  in  my  name  I  will  do  ;  but  do  not 
forget  that  if  you  love  me,  you  will  do  as  I 
have  taught  you." 

He  knew  how  lonely  they  would  be  without 
him,  and  he  said,  "  My  Father  will  send  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  comfort  you,  and  to  keep  in 
your  minds  what  I  have  said  to  you.  Do  not 
be  troubled  and  do  not  be  afraid,  for  I  will 
give  you  the  same  peace  that  I  feel.     I  told 


w 

On 
ID 
cn 

<: 
ij 

w 

a 


THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER  337 

you  I  was  going  away,  but  I  am  going  to  my 
Father.  He  is  greater  than  I,  and  if  you  love 
me,  you  will  rejoice  with  me  that  I  am  going 
to  him.  I  am  telling  you  these  things  now  so 
that  when  they  come  to  pass  you  will  remem- 
ber what  I  told  you  and  will  trust  me.  Let 
us  go  hence." 

He  spoke  so  solemnly  and  tenderly,  and  every 
word  seemed  so  much  like  a  farewell,  that  they 
could  not  bear  to  go  from  the  room.  Jesus, 
too,  lingered,  and  began  again  to  speak  to 
them.  "  I  am  the  vine,"  he  said,  "  and  you 
are  the  branches.  I  love  you  as  my  Father 
loves  me,  and  I  am  giving  my  life  for  you. 
There  is  no  greater  way  of  showing  love  for 
a  friend  than  to  give  one's  life  for  him,  and 
you  are  my  friends,  not  my  servants.  See  to 
it,  then,  that  you  love  one  another  as  I  have 
loved  you." 

They  had  been  so  slow  to  understand,  he 
was  afraid  even  now  that  they  would  lose  their 
faith  in  him  when  they  knew  he  was  dead, 
and  he  told  them  again  what  trouble  and 
suffering  and  persecution  they  would  have  to 
meet.  "  It  is  true,"  he  said,  "  that  in  a  httle 
while  you  will  not  see  me  ;  but  again  after 
a  little  while  you  will  see  me."     The  disciples 


338  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

whispered  to  one  another,  "  What  does  he 
mean  by  saying  that  we  shall  not  see  him 
after  a  little  while,  and  that  again  after  a 
little  while  we  shall  see  him  ?  " 

Jesus  saw  that  they  were  puzzled,  but  he 
knew  that  no  matter  how  clearly  he  told  them 
they  could  not  yet  understand,  so  he  answered 
only,  "  You  will  weep,  and  the  world  will  re- 
joice ;  but  I  will  come  to  you  again,  and  then 
you  will  rejoice,  and  your  joy  will  remain.  I 
have  talked  to  you  in  parables,  but  then  I  can 
tell  you  about  my  Father  more  plainly,  for  you 
will  understand  me  better.  I  will  tell  you  one 
thing  more,  and  that  is  that  my  Father  loves 
you  because  you  have  loved  me,  and  he  is  so 
ready  to  give  you  good  gifts  that  I  need  not  ask 
him.  I  come  from  the  Father  into  the  world, 
and  now  I  shall  leave  the  world  and  go  back 
to  the  Father."  The  disciples  fancied  then 
that  they  understood  what  he  meant,  and  they 
said,  "  Now  we  understand  and  we  believe 
that  you  came  from  God."  Jesus  asked,  "Do 
you  believe  ?  The  time  is  coming  when  you 
will  leave  me  alone  ;  and  yet  I  shall  not  be 
alone  because  my  Father  is  with  me.  I  have 
told  you  all  these  things  not  to  make  you 
troubled,  but  so  that  you  may  trust  in  me  and 


THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER  339 

have  peace.  Do  not  forget  that  I  said  you 
would  have  trouble  in  the  world  ;  but  be  of 
good  cheer,  for  I  have  overcome  the  world." 

The  disciples  had  never  heard  Jesus  pray 
for  them,  but  now  he  prayed  so  earnestly  and 
so  tenderly  that  they  loved  him  more  than 
ever,  and  were  sure  that  they  would  always  be 
true  to  him.  "  Father,"  he  said,  "  these  are 
my  friends,  and  thou  gavest  them  to  me.  I 
have  told  them  what  thou  hast  told  me,  and 
they  beheve  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  I  shall 
not  be  in  the  world  any  more,  but  they  will 
be  here.  Keep  them  so  that  they  will  be 
united  as  we  are.  Those  who  do  not  believe 
in  thee  hate  them,  yet  I  do  not  ask  thee  to  take 
them  out  of  the  world,  but  only  to  keep  them 
from  evil.  I  am  sending  them  forth  to  give 
the  world  thy  truth  just  as  thou  didst  send  me. 
They  will  teach  thy  truth  to  others,  and  I 
pray  for  them  too,  that  all  who  learn  of  thee 
may  be  united  and  love  one  another  even  as 
we  do.  And,  Father,  I  wish  to  have  all  these 
who  love  me  stay  with  me  forever,  and  all 
those  that  shall  love  me,  that  they  may  be 
glad  m  seeing  the  glory  that  thou  hast  given 
me.  The  world  did  not  know  thee,  but  I 
knew  thee,  and  these  my  friends  knew  that 


340  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

thou  didst  send  me.  I  have  told  them  of 
thee,  that  the  love  with  which  thou  hast  loved 
me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them." 

The  disciples  and  Jesus  sang  a  hymn  to- 
gether, the  116th  and  117th  Psalms,  with  part 
of  the  118th.  The  oldest  chanted  alone,  and 
at  the  end  of  each  verse  the  others  responded, 
*^  Hallelujah,  hallelujah  !  "  The  last  verse  sung 
was,  "  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,"  and  they  all  cried  once  more, 
"  Hallelujah,  hallelujah  !  "  Then  they  went 
out  of  the  quiet  chamber  into  the  great  city 
that  was  so  full  of  happy  people.  It  was 
nearly  midnight,  and  at  midnight  the  gates  of 
the  Temple  would  be  thrown  open.  It  was  a 
glad  and  merry  city.  The  houses  were  glow- 
ing with  candles.  They  and  the  full  moon 
were  making  the  narrow  streets  as  bright  as 
day.  The  people  were  in  their  festival  clothes, 
and  they  were  going  up  by  hundreds  to  the 
Temple.  They  all  carried  food,  part  of  it  to 
give  to  the  priests  and  the  rest  to  cook  in  one 
of  the  courts.  Then  they  were  to  sit  and 
feast  and  talk  together  and  be  joyful. 

Jesus  and  his  eleven  disciples  went  along 
the  streets,  through  one  of  the  city  gates,  down 
the  steep  hill,  and  across  the  bridge  that  lay 


^^\st^»^^<:  _)^ 


CHRIST    IN    GETHSEMANE 


THE  PASSOVER  SUPPER  341 

over  the  brook  Cedron.  Then  they  went  up 
the  gentle  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  an 
olive  orchard  called  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
where  Jesus  had  often  gone  with  his  disciples. 
There  were  the  olive  trees  with  their  gnarled 
and  knotted  trunks  and  their  low-spreading 
branches.  The  moonlight  touched  the  leaves 
with  silver  and  shone  down  between  them  on 
the  soft  turf  beneath.  The  city  with  its  noise 
and  merrymaking  was  far  away,  but  they 
could  see  the  lights  glitter  and  the  marble  of 
the  Temple  gleam. 

When  they  had  gone  into  the  Garden,  Jesus 
said  to  the  disciples,  "  Sit  down  here  and  wait, 
while  I  go  and  pray  to  my  Father."  They 
obeyed  him,  but  as  he  turned  to  leave  them, 
the  moonlight  touched  his  face.  It  was  so 
full  of  suffering  that  Peter  and  James  and 
John,  the  three  who  were  dearest  to  him, 
sprang  to  their  feet.  They  would  have  called, 
"  Master,  let  us  go  with  you,"  but  such  a  look 
of  love  and  tenderness  and  even  gratitude 
shone  on  his  face  for  a  moment  that  they 
did  not  need  to  speak.  He  made  a  motion  as 
if  they  were  little  children  whom  he  was  to 
lead  by  the  hand,  then  turned  away  into  the 
darkness.     They  followed  him,  stumbling  over 


342  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

the  uneven  ground,  for  their  eyes  were  full  of 
tears.  After  a  little  he  spoke  to  them.  "  My 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death," 
he  said.  "  Stay  here  and  watch  with  me."  He 
went  a  stone's  throw  away  from  them,  and 
there  he  knelt  and  prayed.  Gethsemane  was 
so  still  that  they  could  hear  broken  sentences. 
"My  Father,  my  Father,"  they  heard,  "all 
things  are  possible  unto  thee.  Let  this  cup 
pass  away  from  me."  In  the  gleam  of  the 
moonhght,  they  saw  him  fall  on  his  face  upon 
the  ground,  and  they  heard,  "  Not  what  I  will. 
Father,  but  what  thou  wilt."  Then  they  heard 
no  more,  but  they  saw  the  brightness  of  shining 
robes,  and  they  knew  that  an  angel  from  heaven 
was  with  him  strengthening  him.  In  his  agony 
there  was  comfort '  to  him  in  the  thought  that 
the  three  whom  he  loved  best  were  watching 
with  him,  and  he  went  back  for  one  look  into 
their  faces ;  but  when  he  came  near  to  them,  he 
saw  that  they  were  asleep.  Peter  roused  first 
at  the  sound  of  his  footstep,  and  Jesus  asked 
sadly,  "  Peter,  could  you  not  watch  with  me 
one  hour?  Watch  and  pray,  that  you  may 
not  enter  into  temptation."  Again  he  went 
away,  and  again  he  came  to  them.  They  were 
asleep,  for  their  sorrow  was  more  than  they 


THE   PASSOVER   SUPPER  '       343 

could  bear.  A  third  time  Jesus  came,  and  he 
said,  "  Sleep  on  now  and  take  your  rest."  He 
stood  looking  at  them  a  moment  in  silence,  his 
eyes  full  of  pity,  for  he  knew  how  much  they 
would  suffer  in  seeing  him  suffer.  Then  he 
spoke.  "  The  hour  is  near,  and  the  Son  of 
Man  is  betrayed  into  the  power  of  sinners. 
Arise,  and  let  us  be  going.  He  who  has 
betrayed  me  is  at  hand." 


7="^=^ 


\  ', 


(It:aci|i)  Hm 


K 


XXII 

CRUCIFY  HIM  !  CRUCIFY  HIM  ! 

There  was  one  man  in  Jerusalem  who  had 
kept  no  Passover,  who  had  made  no  offering, 
and  who  was  not  going  up  to  the  Temple  to 
join  in  the  gladness  of  the  midnight  feasting. 
When  Jesus  and  the  eleven  came  out  of  the 
Passover  chamber,  he  was  crouching  beside 
one  of  the  neighboring  houses,  hidden  in  the 
deep  shadow  of  the  water  jars.  As  the  httle 
company  went  silently  down  the  street,  he  fol- 
lowed them,  keeping  on  the  dark  side  of  the 
way,  never  losing  sight  of  them,  but  shielding 
himself  behind  groups  of  the  merry  f casters, 
so  that  if  the  disciples  should  suddenly  turn, 
he  would  not  be  seen.  He  did  not  need  to 
fear  their  looking  for  him  ;  they  thought  of  no 
one  but  the  Master,  and  they  had  forgotten 
for  the  time  that  such  a  man  as  Judas  was  ever 
among  them.  He  followed  them  down  the 
hill,  over  the  bridge,  up  the  gentle  slope  that 


348  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

led  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  He  must 
make  no  mistake.  To  betray  the  Master  was 
safe,  he  thought,  but  to  deceive  the  council 
would  bring  some  terrible  punishment  upon 
him.  He  crept  along  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees 
at  the  edge  of  the  Garden,  then  stopped,  listen- 
ing so  intently  that  he  almost  shrieked  when  the 
wing  of  a  moth  brushed  his  ear.  He  waited 
till  he  heard,  "My  Father,  my  Father ! "  then 
he  slunk  away  down  the  hill.  On  the  bridge 
over  the  Cedron  he  paused.  Before  him  was 
Jerusalem,  full  of  the  joy  of  the  Hebrew  na- 
tion ;  behind  was  Gethsemane  with  the  sufPer- 
inir  that  was  for  the  whole  world.  But  Judas 
had  little  thought  of  that.  He  had  stopped 
only  for  a  moment's  rest  before  hastening  up 
the  hill  and  through  the  city  to  the  house 
of  Caiaphas.  "  Take  me  to  the  high  priest," 
he  bade.  The  guards  had  been  told  to  admit 
him  at  whatever  hour  he  came.  "Caiaphas," 
he  cried,  forgetting  the  bow  of  respect  that 
was  given  to  even  the  lowest  official,  "  Caia- 
phas, he  is  in  Gethsemane.  I  have  often  been 
there  with  him.  He  is  there  now.  Come  with 
me  !  "  "  Are  you  telling  me  the  truth  ?"  de- 
manded Caiaphas,  for  he  could  hardly  believe 
that  a  man  would  betray  his  rabbi  so  willingly. 


CRUCIFY  HIM!  CRUCIFY  HIM!  349 

"I  give  you  the  word  of  a  faithful  Jew," 
replied  Judas,  drawing  himself  up  and  look- 
ing boldly  at  the  high  priest.  "A  faithful 
Jew  !  "  muttered  Caiaphas.  Then  he  sent  for 
some  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders  whom  he 
knew  to  be  in  the  Temple  and  said  to  them, 
"  This  man  says  that  the  Galilean  rabbi  is  in 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  There  will  be 
no  difficulty  in  taking  him  in  that  place,  will 
there  ?  The  multitude  are  feasting."  "  No," 
answered  the  councilors.  "  But  we  must  not 
have  any  uproar,  even  among  his  disciples," 
said  one,  "  if  it  can  be  helped.  How  many  are 
there  of  them?  "  "  Only  eleven,"  cried  Judas. 
"  There  need  be  no  trouble.  I  will  say,  ^  Hail, 
Master,'  and  kiss  him.  That  will  be  the  sign 
to  you,  and  you  can  take  him  before  they  find 
out  that  you  are  not  people  who  have  followed 
him  there  to  be  cured." 

Then  a  crowd  of  elders  and  chief  priests 
and  scribes  and  Pharisees  and  soldiers  set  out 
with  swords  and  clubs  and  lanterns  and  torches 
and  went  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  Some 
of  them  hung  back  a  little,  for  they  were  afraid 
that  a  rabbi  who  had  shown  such  marvelous 
power  might  strike  them  blind  or  even  kill 
them.     Perhaps   there  was   only  one  among 


350  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

them  who  had  no  fear,  and  that  was  Judas,  for 
he  had  so  often  seen  Jesus  bear  cruel,  scorn- 
ful words,  and  even  threats  of  violence,  that 
he  was  not  afraid  of  being  harmed.  He  did 
not  love  the  Master,  but  he  believed  that  the 
Master  was  too  kind  to  injure  him.  There- 
fore, when  they  came  to  the  Garden,  he  went 
up  to  Jesus  boldly  and  said,  "  Hail,  Rabbi," 
and  kissed  him.  "  Judas,"  asked  the  Master, 
"are  you  betraying  the  Son  of  Man  with  a 
kiss  ?  " 

The  disciples  saw  the  soldiers  and  weap- 
ons, and  they  gathered  around  the  Master  to 
shield  him.  At  the  Passover  supper,  when 
he  was  trying  to  make  them  understand  that 
their  lives  would  be  hard,  he  had  said  that 
even  swords  would  be  needed.  He  meant 
bold,  strong  words,  telling  of  their  belief,  but 
Peter  thought  he  meant  real  swords,  and  he 
had  broug-ht  one  with  him.  Now  he  cried, 
"  Lord,  shall  we  strike  with  the  sword  ?  "  and 
without  waiting  for  an  answer  he  drew  it  and 
cut  off  the  ear  of  one  of  Caiaphas's  servants. 
Jesus  could  not  help  loving  Peter  for  the  brave 
defense,  although  it  was  unwise  and  useless. 
"  Put  up  your  sword,  Peter,"  he  said.  "  Those 
who  take  the  sword  will  perish  by  the  sword. 


THE   BETRAYAL 


CRUCIFY  HIM!  CRUCIFY  HIM!  351 

Do  you  think  that  even  now  I  could  not  ask 
my  Father  and  he  would  send  me  more  than 
twelve  legions  of  angels  ?  Shall  I  not  di-ink  the 
cup  that  my  Father  has  given  me  ?  "  Jesus 
stepped  out  from  the  little  group  of  his  follow- 
ers ;  he  touched  the  man's  ear  and  healed  it. 
Then  he  asked  the  soldiers  and  priests,  "  Whom 
are  you  seeking?"  They  answered,  "Jesus 
of  Nazareth."  "  I  am  he,"  said  Jesus,  and  he 
stood  before  them  so  calm,  so  fearless,  and 
so  majestic  that  they  drew  back,  and  some  of 
them  fell  upon  their  faces  before  him  in  fear. 
Jesus  asked  again,  "  Whom  are  you  seeking?" 
and  they  stammered,  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 
"  I  told  you  that  I  am  he,"  said  Jesus.  "  If 
you  are  seeking  for  me,  let  these  go  free.  But 
why  are  you  come  out  with  swords  and  clubs, 
as  if  I  were  a  robber  ?  I  sat  in  the  Temple 
teaching  day  by  day,  and  you  did  not  take  me 
then."  There  was  no  answer  that  they  could 
make.  They  seized  him  and  bound  him  and 
carried  him  away,  and  the  disciples  fled. 

Jesus  was  taken  first  to  the  palace  of  Annas, 
the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas.  Caiaphas  had 
been  made  high  priest  by  the  Romans,  but 
Annas  had  held  the  office  first,  and  many  of 
the  Jews  believed  that  he  was  the  rightful 


352  THE   CHRIST  STORY 


high  priest.  He  questioned  Jesus,  "  Who 
are  your  followers  ?  What  have  you  taught 
them  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I  have  spoken  to 
every  one.  I  have  taught  in  the  synagogues 
and  the  Temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come  to- 
gether. I  have  done  nothing  in  secret.  But 
why  do  you  ask  me  ?  Why  not  ask  those  who 
heard  me  ?  "  Jesus  had  emphasized  "  I,"  and 
every  one  present  knew  he  meant  "  /  have 
worked  openly  and  in  the  light ;  you  came  to 
seek  me  in  secret,  and  you  question  me  in 
the  darkness."  Annas  was  white  with  anger, 
and  one  of  the  officers  who  wished  to  show 
his  devotion  to  Annas  cried,  "Is  that  the 
way  you  answer  the  high  priest  ?  "  and  struck 
the  prisoner  with  his  hand.  Jesus  said,  "  If 
I  have  spoken  evil,  tell  me  what  it  is ;  but  if  I 
have  spoken  well,  why  do  you  strike  me  ?  " 
Annas  was  a  shrewd  man,  but  even  he  could 
not  draw  one  word  from  Jesus  that  would  con- 
demn him,  and  at  last  he  said,  "  Take  him  to 
Caiaphas."  So  Jesus,  still  bound,  was  taken 
to  Caiaphas. 

The  Jews  had  very  just  laws  about  trying 
prisoners.  The  judge  was  commanded  to  tell 
the  witnesses  to  be  sure  that  they  testified  to 
everything  that  would  help  the  prisoner,  and 


CRUCIFY  HIM!  CRUCIFY   HIM!  353 

he  was  to  have  counsel  to  make  sure  that 
they  obeyed.  He  was  to  be  treated  as  an  in- 
nocent man  until  it  was  proved  that  he  was 
guilty.  No  one  coidd  be  tried  in  the  night, 
and  if  he  was  proved  guilty,  he  could  not  be 
condemned  till  the  day  after  the  trial.  This 
midnight  meeting  in  the  house  of  Caiaphas 
was  of  course  an  examination  rather  than  a 
trial,  but  the  same  laws  should  have  been  ob- 
served, and  they  were  not.  Caiaphas  and  all 
the  others  were  eager  to  put  him  to  death, 
because  if  men  beheved  his  teachings,  they 
themselves  would  lose  power  and  money.  Caia- 
phas gave  no  such  charge  to  the  witnesses  as 
he  was  bidden  ;  Jesus  was  given  no  counsel ;  he 
was  treated  from  the  first  as  if  he  was  guUty ; 
the  examination  was  held  in  the  night,  and  he 
was  condemned  at  once  so  far  as  these  men 
could  condemn  him.  Moreover,  this  meeting 
had  no  right  even  to  examine  any  one. 

It  was  not  yet  light,  but  in  the  little  time 
before  the  councilors  could  be  brought  to- 
gether, Caiaphas  had  sent  about  and  brought 
in  people  who,  as  he  thought,  would  be  will- 
ing to  swear  that  Jesus  had  said  something 
wicked.  Many  were  ready  to  testify  whatever 
they  thought  would  please  the  high  priest,  but 


354  THE  CHRIST   STORY 

no  two  of  them  agreed  in  what  they  said,  and 
even  Caiaphas  did  not  dare  to  condemn  a 
prisoner  on  the  word  of  one  witness.  At 
last  one  man  testified,  "  I  heard  him  say  he 
could  destroy  the  Temple  and  build  it  in  three 
days."  Another  testified,  "  I  heard  him  say 
he  would  destroy  the  Temple  that  was  only 
made  with  hands,  and  in  three  days  he  would 
build  one  without  hands."  Neither  of  these 
statements  was  what  Jesus  had  really  said,  but 
Caiaphas  thought  they  were  so  nearly  alike 
that  he  could  act  as  if  they  agreed,  so  he  de- 
manded of  Jesus,  "  Do  you  hear  what  these 
two  men  testify  against  you  ?  Have  you  no- 
thing to  say  to  this  charge  of  despising  the 
Temple  of  God  ? "  Jesus  made  no  reply. 
There  was  no  reply  to  make  to  a  judge  who 
was  determined  to  pronounce  him  guilty. 
Caiaphas  was  puzzled  for  a  moment,  for  he 
had  hoped  that  he  could  provoke  Jesus  and 
make  him  talk  and  defend  himself,  and  that 
in  his  haste  and  indignation  he  would  say 
something  that  they  could  declare  made  him 
deservino^  of  death. 

The  Roman  court  was  the  only  assembly 
that  could  condemn  a  man  to  death,  but  the  Ro- 
mans would  not  care  what  a  Jewish  rabbi  had 


CRUCIFY   HIM!   CRUCIFY   HIM!  355 

said  about  tearing  down  the  Temple.  Caia- 
phas  must  be  able  to  charge  his  prisoner  with 
some  deed  or  some  word  that  Romans  would 
call  crime.  The  thing  that  they  would  resent 
soonest  and  most  angrily  was  a  revolt  against 
their  power,  and  Caiaphas  had  planned  what 
to  do  if  his  first  scheme  failed.  The  judges 
sat  in  a  half  circle  on  thick  cushions.  The 
high  priest  sprang  from  his  seat  m  the  centre 
as  if  he  could  no  longer  endure  such  wicked- 
ness as  speaking  disrespectfully,  of  the  Temple. 
He  made  one  long  stride  towards  where  Jesus 
stood,  and  cried,  "  I  put  you  on  oath  by  the 
living  God  to  say  whether  you  are  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  Jehovah." 

Jesus  did  not  delay  his  answer  for  an  in- 
stant. He  said  calmly,  "  I  am,  and  in  the  time 
to  come  you  shall  see  me  sitting  on  the  right 
hand  of  God  and  coming  among  the  clouds 
of  heaven."  Then  Caiaphas  pretended  to  be 
horrified.  He  clutched  his  robe  and  tore  it 
from  top  to  bottom,  as  if  he  was  so  enraged 
that  he  could  not  control  himself.  "  Do  you 
hear  that  ?  "  he  cried.  "  He  is  a  blasphemer. 
Why  should  we  search  for  witnesses  ?  You 
have  all  heard  him  ;  you  are  all  witnesses. 
What  ouo^ht  to  be  done  with  him  ?  "     And 


^i/ii. 


356  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

every  one  answered,  "  He  ought  to  be  put  to 
death." 

The  next  thins:  to  do  was  to  take  Jesus 
before  Pilate,  the  Roman  governor  of  Judea. 
That  could  not  be  done  in  the  night,  so  Caia- 
phas  gave  his  prisoner  to  the  guards  to  be 
kept  safely  till  morning. 

Now  when  Jesus  was  seized,  the  disciples 
fled  in  fear.  Peter  and  John  came  to  them- 
selves first,  and  followed  on  to  the  house  of 
Caiaphas.  Some  of  the  household  knew  John, 
and  he  was  allowed  to  come  into  the  open  court 
of  the  house,  but  Peter  was  a  stranger,  and  he 
could  not  come  in.  Then  John  spoke  to  the 
maid  who  had  charge  of  the  door  and  said, 
"  This  man  is  a  friend  of  mine.  Will  you  let 
him  in  ?  "  The  girl  opened  the  door  for  him, 
and  he  entered.  The  servants  and  some  of 
the  soldiers  were  sitting  about  a  fire,  for  the 
night  was  cold,  and  Peter  sat  down  among 
them  as  if  he  cared  for  nothing  but  to  warm 
himself.  The  maid  who  had  let  him  in  watched 
him  curiously.  She  saw  how  ti'oubled  he 
looked,  and  noticed  that  he  took  no  part  in 
the  chatter  of  the  other  men.  She  asked  him, 
"  Are  you,  too,  one  of  the  rabbi's  disciples  ?  " 
Peter  had  not  expected  the  question,  and  he 


H 

a. 


< 
z 

Q 

a 
X 

H 


CRUCIFY   HIM  !   CRUCIFY   HIM  !  357 

was  taken  aback.  For  the  moment  he  for- 
got everything  but  his  own  safety,  and  he 
answered,  "  No,  T  am  not ;  I  do  not  know  him  ; 
I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean."  He 
left  the  fire  and  went  out  into  the  porch.  Just 
then  the  cock  crowed.  The  maid  did  not  be- 
heve  his  answer,  and  she  said  to  those  who 
were  standing  around,  "  There  is  a  man  who 
was  with  the  GaHlean  rabbi."  Peter  heard 
her,  and  ^athout  waiting  to  be  asked,  he  cried, 
"  I  was  not."  An  hour  later,  a  kinsman  of 
the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off  said  to 
him,  "  Did  not  I  see  you  in  the  Garden  with 
Jesus  ?  "  and  another  said,  "  You  are  a  Gali- 
lean. I  know  by  your  speech.  You  are  surely 
one  of  the  disciples  of  the  rabbi."  Then 
Peter,  who  had  been  so  sure  that  he  would 
never  desert  his  Master,  and  who  had  even 
rushed  forward  alone  to  defend  him  with  the 
sword,  shouted  angrily,  "  I  tell  you  I  know 
nothing  about  the  man  ;  I  swear  I  do  not 
know  him."  The  cock  crowed  a  second  time, 
and  Peter  started,  for  he  remembered  what 
Jesus  had  said,  "  Before  the  cock  crows  twice, 
you  will  deny  me  three  times."  He  stood  as 
if  he  was  turned  into  stone,  gazing  blankly  at 
one  of  the  doors.    It  opened,  and  there  came 


358  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

out  the  wild,  riotous  guards  with  a  prisoner 
whom  they  mocked  and  jeered  at.  They  threw 
a  mantle  over  his  head  and  struck  him  with 
their  hands  and  cried,  "  You  are  a  prophet, 
now  tell  us  who  struck  you  ? "  and  as  the 
mantle  fell  to  the  ground,  they  spit  upon  him 
and  beat  him  with  rods.  The  prisoner  did 
not  look  at  his  guards,  but  he  turned  and  gave 
one  long  look  at  Peter,  a  look  so  full  of  rebuke 
and  sorrow  and  love  and  forgiveness  that 
Peter  rushed  out  of  the  house,  threw  himself 
upon  the  ground,  and  wept  bitterly.  Peter 
was  never  a  coward  again. 

As  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  full  council  of 
chief  priests  and  scribes  and  elders  came  to- 
gether, and  Jesus  was  brought  before  them. 
They  had  heard  the  report  of  those  members 
of  the  council  who  had  condemned  him  in  the 
night,  and  they  asked  only  one  question,  "Are 
you  the  Christ  ?  "  He  answered,  "  If  I  tell 
you,  you  will  not  believe,  and  if  I  ask  you 
such  questions  as  will  prove  that  I  am,  you 
will  not  answer ;  but  I  will  say  that  in  time 
to  come  the  Son  of  Man  will  sit  at  the  right 
hand  of  God."  At  this  they  all  cried  together, 
"  Are  you  the  Son  of  God  ? "  and  he  an- 
swered, "I  am."     Then  they  were  satisfied. 


CRUCIFY   HIM  !   CRUCIFY   HIM  !  359 

"  That  is  enough,"  they  declared,  and  nodded 
to  one  another.  "  There  is  no  need  of  any 
witnesses,  for  we  have  heard  it  ourselves,"  and 
the  whole  company  rose  and  carried  Jesus  to 
the  house  of  Pilate,  the  Roman  governor. 

Judas  was  watching  by  the  gates  of  Caiaphas, 
and  he  saw  the  council  go  with  the  prisoner 
toward  the  palace  of  Pilate.  Perhaps  he  had 
not  thought  they  would  dare  to  condemn  one 
who  was  innocent.  Perhaps  he  had  expected 
Jesus  to  free  himself  by  a  miracle.  A  great 
horror  of  the  crime  and  of  himself  came  over 
the  wretched  man,  and  he  pushed  his  way  into 
the  Temple,  even  to  the  place  before  the  Holy 
of  Holies,  where  some  of  the  priests  were 
making  ready  for  the  morning  sacrifice.  "  I 
have  sinned,"  he  groaned ;  "  I  have  betrayed 
an  innocent  man.  Take  back  your  money 
and  save  him."  "You  have  sinned?"  said 
the  priests.  "  Then  that  is  your  affair ;  it  is 
nothing  to  us."  Judas  flung  down  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  upon  the  marble  floor,  and 
rushed  out  to  a  desert  place  and  hanged  him- 
self. The  priests  were  not  troubled  about  his 
crime,  but  they  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
the  money,  for  it  had  been  given  to  buy  a  life, 
and  therefore  it  was  unclean,  and  could  not  be 


360  THE  CHRIST  STORY 


put  into  the  Temple  treasury.  At  last  they 
decided  to  buy  with  it  the  desert  place,  a  worn- 
out  clay  field,  where  Judas  had  hanged  hun- 
self,  and  to  use  this  for  a  burying  ground  for 
stranger  Jews  who  died  in  Jerusalem. 

The  chief  priests  and  scribes  and  elders,  who 
had  hastened  with  Jesus  to  the  gates  of  Pilate, 
were  also  troubled  about  a  question  of  unclean- 
ness.  Pilate  was  a  Roman  and  a  heathen  ;  if 
they  went  into  his  hall,  they  would  become 
unclean,  and  could  have  no  share  in  a  great 
feast  that  had  been  provided  for  the  evening 
by  the  offerings  of  the  people  at  the  Temple. 
Pilate  cared  nothing  about  any  such  "  Jewish 
fooHshness,"  as  he  would  have  called  it,  but 
he  had  no  objections  to  holding  a  court  in  the 
open  air,  a  thing  which  the  Romans  often  did, 
so  he  went  out  and  seated  himself  in  the 
beautiful  chair  of  carved  ivory  that  was  his 
judgment  throne.  He  began  bluntly,  "  What 
has  the  man  done  ?  "  They  answered,  "  If 
he  were  not  an  offender,  we  should  not  have 
brought  him  to  you."  "Some  Jewish  non- 
sense," Pilate  muttered,  and  said  aloud,  "  Take 
him  away  and  judge  him  by  your  own  laws." 
The  Jews  replied,  "  We  are  not  permitted  to 
put  any  man   to   death."     They   had  hoped 


CRUCIFY   HIM!   CRUCIFY   HIM!  361 

that  Pilate  would  not  ask  too  many  questions 
about  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner  and  would 
condemn  him  at  once,  but  he  asked,  "  So  it  is 
a  question  o£  death  is  it  ?  Then  what  is  his 
crime?"  Now  when  Jesus  was  questioned 
about  paying  taxes  to  a  heathen  emperor,  he 
had  answered,  "  Give  to  Caesar  what  belongs 
to  him,"  and  the  chief  priests  knew  that  he 
had  no  idea  of  leading  the  nation  to  rebel 
against  Caesar,  but  they  had  an  answer  ready, 
the  speech  that  Caiaphas  had  made  up  when 
he  had  forced  Jesus  to  say,  "  I  am  the  Christ." 
They  said,  "  He  is  leading  our  nation  to  rebel 
asfainst  the  Romans.  He  tells  them  that  he 
himself  is  a  king,  and  that  they  ought  not  to 
pay  taxes  to  Caesar." 

This  was  a  different  matter,  and  although 
Pilate  still  half  believed  it  was  only  "  Jewish 
foohshness,"  he  could  not  overlook  such  a 
charge  as  this.  "Are  you  the  king  of  the 
Jews?  "  he  asked,  and  Jesus  answered  "  I  am." 
But  when  the  chief  priests  and  elders  forgot 
their  dignity  and  burst  out  into  a  whirlwind 
of  charges  against  him,  Jesus  did  not  say  a 
word  in  reply.  Most  Jewish  offenders  who 
were  brought  before  Pilate  were  very  talkative. 
They  had  an  excuse   or   an    explanation  for 


362  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

every  charge,  and  stormed  at  their  accusers 
whenever  they  dared.  This  man  stood  with 
his  hands  bound,  his  garments  torn  and  stained, 
but  he  was  calm  and  silent.  "He  is  more 
kingly  than  Caesar  himself,"  thought  Pilate, 
and  he  asked  Jesus  with  as  much  respect  as 
a  Roman  could  make  up  his  mind  to  show  to  a 
Jew,  "  Do  you  not  hear  of  how  many  things 
they  are  accusing  you  ?  Have  you  nothing 
to  say  to  them?  "  Even  then  Jesus  made  no 
reply. 

Pilate  was  greatly  surprised.  Here  was 
something  new  in  that  dull  city.  "  I  will  see 
this  man  alone,"  he  said,  and  he  went  into 
his  palace,  ordering  a  soldier  to  bring  the  pris- 
oner to  him.  When  Jesus  stood  before  him, 
Pilate  asked,  "  Are  you  the  king  of  the  Jews  ?  " 
Jesus  answered  by  a  question,  "  Do  you  ask 
this  because  you  think  it  may  be  true,  or  only 
because  others  have  said  it  to  you  of  me  ?  " 
"  Am  I  a  Jew  ? "  asked  Pilate  scornfully. 
"  Your  own  nation  and  the  chief  priests  brought 
you  before  me.  What  have  you  done  ?  "  Je- 
sus no  longer  remained  silent.  Pilate  was 
the  governor,  and  he  had  a  right  to  question 
whoever  was  brought  before  him.  Moreover, 
there  had  been  a  touch  of  sympathy  in  Pilate's 


w 

< 

Oh 

w 
o 

n 

D 


CRUCIFY  HIM!   CRUCIFY  HIM!  363 

manner,  and  he  had  refused  to  condemn  hhn 
without  a  hearing.  Jesus  would  give  this 
Roman  a  chance  to  deal  justly,  and  he  replied, 
answering  the  charge  that  the  council  had 
brought  against  him,  "  My  kingdom  is  not 
of  this  world  ;  if  it  were,  my  servants  would 
fight,  and  I  should  not  be  given  up  to  my 
enemies."  A  kingdom  not  of  this  world! 
Pilate  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing.  He 
could  not  understand,  and  he  asked,  "  Are 
you  a  king,  then  ?  "  Jesus  answered,  "  I  am. 
I  came  into  this  world  to  be  a  witness  to  the 
truth,  and  every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  listens 
to  me."  "  This  is,  indeed,  something  new," 
thought  Pilate.  "  All  our  great  philosophers 
in  Rome  and  Greece  have  tried  to  find  out 
what  truth  is,  and  here  is  a  Jewish  peasant 
who  thinks  he  knows.  What  is  truth  ?  "  he 
asked  with  a  kind  of  good-natured  contempt ; 
and  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  went 
outside  the  palace  and  said  to  the  council,  "  I 
do  not  see  that  the  man  has  done  anything 
wrong."  Then  they  all  burst  out,  "  He  stirs 
up  the  people.  He  has  talked  to  them  all 
the  way  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem."  "Ha, 
Galilee  ?  "  cried  Pilate.  "  Is  he  a  GaHlean  ?  " 
"  Yes,"  the  priests  answered.     "  Why  did  you 


364  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

brino-  him  to  me,  then?"  Pilate  demanded. 
"  Antipas  is  here  in  Jerusalem.  He  rules 
Galilee.     Take  him  to  Antipas." 

Pilate  turned  away,  very  much  pleased  with 
himself  and  his  shrewdness.  "  That  man  is 
no  rebel,"  he  thought.  "  He  is  only  a  harm- 
less dreamer  who  fancies  that  he  knows  what 
is  true  better  than  any  one  else.  I  suppose 
he  has  dared  to  say  a  word  against  some  of 
their  silly  Jewish  laws,  and  they  are  bound  to 
kill  him." 

Pilate  was  a  Roman,  and  the  Romans  always 
preferred  to  be  just,  so  far  as  they  could 
without  loss  to  themselves,  but  Pilate  did  not 
dare  to  oppose  the  Jews  too  far.  There  had 
been  revolts  against  him  before,  and  the  em- 
peror had  been  displeased  that  he  had  not 
yielded  to  the  people  in  matters  which  he 
thought  of  little  importance.  To  keep  the 
peace,  this  Roman  would  not  have  hesitated 
to  take  a  hfe  ;  but  by  sending  the  prisoner 
to  Antipas  he  would  avoid  putting  a  man  to 
death  unjustly,  the  Jewish  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees  would  have  no  reason  for  rebellion, 
and  if  the  friends  of  Jesus  made  any  revolt,  it 
would  be  against  Antipas,  whom  they  already 
hated  for  killing  John  the  baptizer,  and  not 


CRUCIFY  HIM!  CRUCIFY  HIM!  365 

against  him  ;  it  was  really  a  shrewd  scheme. 
Besides  all  this,  Antipas  had  been  Pilate's 
enemy  ever  since  he  had  killed  the  Galileans 
while  they  were  sacrificing  at  the  altar,  and 
this  courtesy  of  sending  him  an  accused  man 
because  he  was  from  Galilee  would  win  the 
friendship  of  the  ruler  of  Galilee.  Pilate 
would  not  admit  even  to  himself  what  was, 
after  all,  the  strongest  reason  for  his  act, 
and  that  was  the  feeling  that  there  was  some 
power  in  this  Jewish  rabbi  that  he  could  not 
understand,  something  that  interested  him  and 
made  him  a  little  afraid.  "  The  gods  used  to 
come  to  the  earth,"  he  muttered.  "  In  these 
days  men  say  there  are  no  gods,  but  it  might 
be,  it  might  be." 

Jesus  was  sent  to  Antipas,  and  Antipas  was 
delighted,  not  only  with  the  attention  shown 
him  by  Pilate,  but  with  the  opportunity  to  see 
a  miracle.  He  had  never  seen  a  miracle,  and 
now  he  would  have  one,  for  he  had  heard  that 
Jesus  could  work  greater  wonders  than  any  of 
the  prophets.  Antipas  was  once  afraid  that 
this  rabbi  was  John  the  baptizer  come  back 
to  punish  him,  but  an  avenging  spirit  would 
not  be  bound  and  brought  before  him  as  a 
prisoner  —  he  felt  sure  of  that,  so  he  asked  all 


366  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

kinds  of  foolish  questions.  "How  did  you 
drive  those  people  out  of  the  Temple?"  he 
asked.  "  Was  there  any  magic  about  the 
whip  you  used  ?  They  say  there  is  a  stone 
somewhere  in  the  wilderness,  and  whoever 
finds  it  can  do  what  he  pleases ;  did  you  find 
it  ?  How  do  you  cast  out  devils  ?  Is  it  any 
harder  to  drive  out  two  than  one  ?  Were 
those  real  lepers  that  you  cured  ?  They  say 
that  you  walked  on  the  water ;  how  did  you 
do  it  ?  "  Jesus  had  been  ready  to  answer  Pi- 
late when  the  Roman  showed  the  least  wish  to 
be  just,  but  he  had  no  reply  for  such  ques- 
tions as  these,  and  he  was  silent.  "  Show  me 
a  miracle,"  demanded  Antipas.  "K  it  is  a 
really  great  one,  —  well,  I  can  do  a  good 
deal  for  you,  and  we  will  see  what  can  be 
done."  Then  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes 
burst  out  with  their  charges  against  him,  but 
they  were  not  Galileans,  and  Antipas  was  not 
so  afraid  of  their  anger  as  Pilate  had  been, 
and  he  was  no  longer  in  fear  of  Jesus.  "  If 
he  could  work  any  wonders,  he  would  have 
freed  himself,"  thought  Antipas,  and  he  said 
to  his  guards  aloud,  "  He  thinks  he  is  a  king, 
does  he  ?  Then  dress  him  up  like  a  king. 
Get    an    old  robe    of   mine  and  put  it  upon 


CRUCIFY   HIM!   CRUCIFY   HIM!  367 

him."  So  the  soldiers  put  upon  the  prisoner 
a  robe  that  had  been  bright  and  gorgeous, 
but  was  now  soiled  and  faded.  They  mocked 
him  and  scoffed  at  him,  until  Antipas  was  no 
longer  amused  by  their  jeering,  and  then  he 
sent  Jesus  back  to  Pilate  with  a  polite  mes- 
sage of  thanks  for  his  courtesy. 

Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests  and 
the  rulers  and  said,  "  You  brought  this  man 
before  me  and  declared  that  he  was  leading 
the  people  to  rebel  against  Caesar.  I  have 
examined  him,  and  Antipas  has  examined  him, 
and  we  do  not  see  that  he  has  done  anything 
that  deserves  death."  If  Pilate  had  been  a 
brave  man,  he  would  have  stopped  there,  but 
althouo^h  he  was  a  little  afraid  of  Jesus,  he 
was  more  afraid  of  the  Jews.  He  did  not 
wish  to  kill  the  prisoner,  and  he  did  not  dare 
to  set  him  free,  so  he  added,  "  I  will  have  him 
scourged  and  then  let  him  go,"  for  he  thought 
perhaps  this  scourging  would  satisfy  the  Jews 
and  he  would  escape  from  putting  an  inno- 
cent man  to  death.  The  chief  priests  and 
the  rulers  shouted,  "  No,  no  !  "  In  the  midst 
of  the  shouting,  a  servant  came  to  Pilate  with 
a  message  from  his  wife.  "  Do  nothing  to 
harm  that  righteous  man,"  were  her  words, 


SIAIEJ 


T^K/^T*     ■»— : 


3G8  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

"  for  I  have  had  terrible  dreams  of  what  will 
come  if  he  is  touched,"  and  then  Pilate  was 
more  troubled  than  ever.  While  he  sat  for  a 
moment,  hardly  knowing  what  to  do,  the  crowd 
began  to  call,  "  Give  us  a  prisoner  !  Set  a 
prisoner  free  !  " 

The  Roman  governors  were  always  afraid 
of  riots  and  revolts  when  so  many  thousand 
Jews  were  gathered  together  in  Jerusalem, 
and  to  make  the  people  contented,  they  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  freeing  some  Jewish 
prisoner  to  them  at  that  time.  Pilate  caught 
at  the  way  of  escape.  "  Shall  I  free  the  king 
of  the  Jews  ?  "  he  asked,  for  he  thought  that, 
whatever  the  chief  priests  might  wish,  the 
multitude  would  call  for  Jesus.  The  priests, 
however,  had  looked  out  for  this  very  thing, 
and  they  had  persuaded  so  many  among  the 
crowd  to  call  for  Barabbas,  that  the  answer 
to  Pilate's  question  was,  "  No !  Barabbas, 
Barabbas  !  "  It  had  not  been  very  difficult 
to  make  them  raise  the  cry,  for  Barabbas 
had  led  a  revolt  against  the  Romans,  and 
the  people  hated  the  Romans.  Pilate  asked 
again,  "  Shall  I  free  Jesus  —  or  Barabbas?" 
Again  they  shouted,  "  Barabbas  !  "  and  Pilate 
did  not  dare  to  oppose  them.     "  What  shall 


CRUCIFY  HIM!   CRUCIFY   HIM!  369 

I  do  with  Jesus  who  is  called  the  Christ  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  Let  him  be  crucified  !  "  was  the 
answer.  "  What  Avrong  has  he  done  ?  "  asked 
Pilate.  "  Crucify  him  !  "  was  the  only  reply. 
Pilate  spoke  again.  "I  do  not  find  that  he 
deserves  death.  I  will  scourge  him  and  set 
him  free."  "Crucify  him!  crucify  him!  "  cried 
the  crowd  madly.  A  tumult  was  arising,  and 
this  would  be  reported  at  Rome  ;  he  might  be 
put  out  of  his  office.  Pilate  still  thought 
he  covdd  do  wrong  and  not  be  punished.  He 
called  for  water,  and  before  the  multitude 
he  washed  his  hands  and  declared,  "  As  my 
hands  are  made  clean  by  this  water,  so  am  I 
innocent  of  the  death  of  this  righteous  man. 
Take  it  upon  yourselves."  All  the  people 
cried,  "  Let  the  blame  for  his  death  be  upon 
us  and  upon  our  children."  Then  Pilate  freed 
Barabbas,  and  ordered  Jesus  to  be  crucified, 
and,  as  the  custom  was  among  the  Romans,  to 
be  scourged  before  he  was  crucified. 


XXIII 

THE    WAY    OF   THE    CROSS 

Scourging  was  so  terrible  a  punishment  that 
the  Roman  law  forbade  any  one  to  inflict  it 
upon  a  Roman  citizen.  The  scourge  was  made 
of  thongs  of  leather,  ending  in  sharp  leaden 
weights.  With  this  the  sufferer  was  beaten. 
Blood  flowed  at  every  blow,  and  the  whole 
body  was  torn  and  mangled.  Many  died  un- 
der a  torture  so  horrible.  Jesus  bore  all  this, 
and  Pilate  as  governor  sat  looking  on  ;  but  he 
would  not  be  reported  to  the  Roman  emperor, 
and  he  had  saved  his  office. 

Jesus  was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  brutal 
Roman  soldiers.  They  led  him  into  the  palace 
court.  They  put  upon  him  the  scarlet  cloak 
of  one  of  the  soldiers.  "  That  will  be  royal 
enough  for  the  King  of  the  Jews,"  they  cried. 
"  But  the  king  must  have  a  crown,"  and  one  of 
.them  twisted  together  twigs  from  a  thorn  tree 
that  grew  in  the  garden,  and  pressed  it  down 


374  THE   CHRIST   STORY 


upon  bis  head.  "  A  sceptre  !  get  a  sceptre  !  '* 
they  shouted,  and  a  reed  from  the  river  bank 
was  put  into  bis  right  hand.  This  was  sport, 
indeed,  they  thought.  It  was  long  since  they 
bad  bad  such  amusement.  Who  cared  what 
was  done  to  a  man  who  was  to  be  crucified ! 
Who  cared  what  was  done  to  a  Jew !  Then 
they  knelt  down  before  him  and  mocked  him. 
"  Ha,  the  King  of  the  Jews !  "  they  cried. 
"  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !  Hail !  "  They 
spit  upon  him ;  they  smote  him  upon  the  head 
with  the  reed ;  they  struck  him  with  their 
bands.  Jesus,  weak  and  faint  and  bleeding, 
Jesus  ;  who  might  with  a  word  have  made 
them  suffer  what  he  was  suffering,  sat  on  the 
mock  throne  where  they  bad  placed  him  and 
endured  all  that  they  could  do. 

Pilate  bad  washed  bis  hands  and  declared 
that  be  was  not  to  blame  for  the  death  of 
Jesus ;  but  be  knew  that  be  was,  and  he  tried 
again  to  save  him  if  be  could  without  himself 
getting  into  trouble.  "  I  will  show  him  once 
more  to  the  Jews,"  he  thought.  "  They  will 
see  what  he  has  suffered,  and  they  will  not 
insist  upon  bis  being  crucified."  So  he  bade 
the  guards  bring  Jesus  out  before  the  palace, 
where  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  could  see 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS  375 

him,  for  they  were  waiting  to  make  sure  that 
the  sentence  was  carried  out.  Jesus  stood  be- 
fore them,  pale,  tottering,  the  scarlet  garment 
of  mockery  over  his  shoulders,  and  the  crown 
of  thorns  on  his  head,  and  still  so  noble,  so 
kingly,  that  the  Roman  governor  looked  at 
him  and  was  afraid.  Then  said  Pilate,  "Look 
at  your  king!  "  "  Crucify  him!  crucify  him!  " 
shouted  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders.  "  I 
see  no  wrong  that  he  has  done,"  said  Pilate. 
"  He  has  broken  no  Roman  law.  Crucify 
him  yourselves,  if  you  must  have  it  so."  "  He 
has  broken  our  law,"  answered  the  Jews. 
"  He  is  a  blasphemer,  for  he  has  declared  that 
he  is  the  Son  of  God." 

Then  Pilate  was  more  frightened  than  ever. 
He  did  not  dare  to  put  this  man  to  death,  and 
he  did  not  dare  to  set  him  free.  He  went 
back  into  his  palace  and  had  Jesus  brought 
before  him  again.  "Who  are  you?"  he  asked. 
"  Are  you  the  Son  of  the  Jewish  Jehovah  ? 
Where  did  you  come  from  ?  "  If  Jesus  had 
answered,  "  I  am  the  Son  of  God,"  Pilate 
would  perhaps  have  released  him,  for  he  would 
have  feared  tliat  the  Jewish  Jehovah  might 
have  more  power  than  the  old  gods  of  Rome 
in  whom  he  half  believed  even  yet;    but  if 


376  THE   CHRIST    STORY 

Pilate  would  not  do  right  because  it  was  right, 
Jesus  would  not  frighten  him  into  doing  right, 
and  therefore  he  was  silent.  Pilate  said,  "  Do 
you  refuse  to  answer  me  ?  Do  you  not  know 
that  I  can  either  free  you  or  crucify  you  as 
I  will  ?  "  Then  Jesus  spoke.  "  You  would 
have  no  power  against  me  if  God  had  not 
permitted  it ;  therefore  those  who  gave  me  up 
to  you  are  even  more  to  blame  than  you." 
This  man,  condemned  to  die,  was  actually  be- 
having as  if  he  were  the  judge,  and  telling 
who  was  more  and  who  was  less  in  fault. 
Pilate  tried  again  to  save  him,  but  the  Jews 
cried  out,  "  He  said  he  was  a  king,  and  that  is 
an  insult  to  Csesar.  If  you  let  him  go,  you  are 
no  friend  to  Csesar."  "  I  am  a  soft-hearted 
fool,"  thought  Pilate.  "  Shall  I  give  up  my 
province,  be  imprisoned,  and  perhaps  banished 
by  the  emperor,  to  save  the  life  of  one  of  these 
worthless  Jews  ?  " 

Then  Pilate  commanded,  "  Set  my  judg- 
ment seat  on  the  high  place."  This  was  a 
raised  platform  of  marble  built  out  in  front  of 
the  palace.  Jesus  was  taken  there,  and  Pilate 
said  to  the  Jews,  "  Look,  there  is  your  king." 
"Away  with  him  !  "  they  shouted.  "  Crucify 
him !  "     "  Shall  I  crucify  your  king  ?  "   de- 


5 
5 


o 
< 


THE  WAY   OF  THE   CROSS  377 

manded  Pilate,  and  the  chief  priests  cried, 
'-  We  have  no  king  but  Csesar."  Even  in  his 
fear  and  anger,  Pilate  must  have  felt  a  grim 
amusement  to  see  these  Jews,  who  hated  the 
Roman  rule  with  all  their  hearts,  so  eager  to 
claim  Csesar  ai  their  king.  "I  cannot  do 
any  more  for  him,"  Pilate  said  to  himself,  and 
he  gave  Jesus  up  to  them  to  be  crucified. 

Amid  jeers  and  mockery  the  scarlet  cloak 
was  torn  off  Jesus,  and  he  was  led  away. 
The  shorter  of  the  two  wooden  beams  that 
were  to  form  the  cross  was  laid  upon  his 
shoulders,  all  torn  and  bleeding  from  the  ter- 
rible Roman  scourge.  Four  soldiers  walked 
beside  him.  A  whitened  board  was  borne  be- 
fore him,  and  on  it  was  written  in  black  let- 
ters, "  This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  King  of  the 
Jews."  It  was  written  in  three  languages  : 
Aramaic,  the  every-day  language  of  the  Jews ; 
Latin,  the  language  of  the  Romans ;  and 
Greek,  the  language  of  many  foreigners  who 
were  then  in  Jerusalem.  They  had  gone  but 
a  little  way  before  the  officer  in  command  saw 
that  Jesus  could  no  longer  carry  the  beam. 
A  man  named  Simon  was  coming  from  the 
country  into  Jerusalem,  and  the  officer  stopped 
him  and  ordered  him  to  carry  it.     Behind  the 


378  THE  CHRIST  STORY 


soldiers,  and  coming-  as  near  as  they  dared, 
was  a  great  multitude  of  peojDle :  friends,  who 
came  because  they  loved  him ;  enemies,  who 
came  to  make  sure  that  the  sentence  was  fully 
carried  out ;  and  with  them  the  rabble,  who 
came  as  they  would  have  gone  to  any  place  of 
amusement.  Jesus  spoke  but  once  on  the  way, 
and  that  was  in  pity.  Many  women  were  in 
the  street,  and  as  they  looked  at  him,  they 
wept  and  wailed  and  lamented.  He  said  to 
them,  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  do  not  weep 
for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  for  the  days 
are  coming  when  you  will  suffer  so  that  you 
will  cry  to  the  mountains  to  fall  upon  you  and 
hide  you  from  your  enemies." 

The  place  of  crucifixion  was  a  bare,  rounded 
hill  called  Calvary.  The  cross  was  laid  upon 
the  ground,  and  Jesus  was  stretched  upon  it. 
Heavy  iron  nails  were  driven  through  his  hands 
and  his  feet.  Then  the  cross  was  raised,  and 
Jesus  was  "  lifted  up,"  as  he  had  told  his  dis- 
ciples he  should  be.  A  deep  hole  in  which 
the  cross  was  to  stand  had  already  been  dug, 
and  into  this  the  soldiers  dropped  the  end 
of  the  upright  beam  with  a  shock  that  was 
agonizing.  Then,  indeed,  Jesus  cried  out,  but 
it  was  no  cry  of   pity  for  himself.     It  was, 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS  379 

^^  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  Above  his  head  was  nailed 
the  board  on  which  was  written,  "This  is  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  King  of  the  Jews."  The  chief 
priests  were  angry  at  this  inscription,  for  Cal- 
vary was  near  the  city,  and  many,  both  Jews 
and  strangers,  were  passing  by.  They  went 
to  Pilate  and  said,  "  Do  not  write,  '  King  of 
the  Jews,'  but  *  He  said,  I  am  King  of  the 
Jews.'  "  Pilate  answered  shortly,  "  What  I 
have  written  I  have  written,"  and  then  turned 
away. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  women  of  Jeru- 
salem to  put  myrrh  into  wine  and  bring  it  to 
Calvary  whenever  any  one  was  to  be  crucified, 
for  they  were  allowed  to  give  it  to  those  who 
were  to  die.  It  half  stupefied  them,  so  that 
they  did  not  feel  the  terrible  pain  quite  so 
severely,  but  Jesus  had  refused  this  drink,  and 
in  the  midst  of  his  agony  he  saw  clearly  all 
that  was  taking  place  around  him.  At  the 
foot  of  the  cross  sat  the  four  Roman  soldiers, 
dividing  his  garments  into  four  parts,  for 
each  was  to  have  a  share.  The  tunic  was  left. 
"There  is  no  seam  in  it,  and  it  is  a  pity  to 
tear  it,"  said  one  of  them,  and  another  sug- 
gested, "  Let  us  shake  dice  for  it."     So  they 


380  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

shook  the  dice,  and  when  one  had  drawn  it 
the  rest  laughed.  "  He  always  was  a  lucky 
fellow,"  they  cried.  Others  came  as  near  as 
the  guards  would  permit,  the  chief  priests, 
scribes,  elders,  and  rulers.  They  nodded  their 
heads  and  called,  "  You  are  the  one  that  could 
destroy  the  Temple  and  build  it  up  again  in 
three  days.  Come  down  from  the  cross,  if 
you  are  the  Son  of  God.  Come  down.  King 
of  Israel,  and  we  will  believe  you.  You  were 
so  ready  to  save  others,  now  save  yourself. 
You  trusted  in  God,  did  you  ?  Now  let  him 
save  you."  The  soldiers  sat  eating  a  midday 
lunch,  and  they  offered  him  some  of  their  wine, 
bowing  before  him  in  mockery,  and  calling, 
"  If  you  are  the  King  of  the  Jews,  come  down 
and  save  yourself." 

On  either  side  of  Jesus  was  a  cross,  and 
on  these  crosses  hung  two  robbers.  One  of 
them  called,  "  You  are  the  Christ,  are  you  ? 
Then  why  do  you  not  save  yourself  and  us  ?  " 
But  the  other  said  to  the  first,  "  Have  you 
no  fear  of  God  ?  You  will  soon  die  as  well  as 
this  man.  You  and  I  deserve  this  death,  but 
he  does  not ;  "  and  then  he  spoke  words  that 
gave  Jesus  deep  happiness  even  in  his  suffer- 
ing.    Jesus  was  dying,  and  at  this  time,  when 


THE   CRUCIFIXION 


THE  WAY   OF  THE   CROSS  381 

many  who  had  called  themselves  his  follow- 
ers doubted  whether  he  really  was  the  Christ, 
this  robber  did  not  doubt,  but  believed  in  him, 
and  said,  "Jesus,  when  you  come  into  your 
kingdom,  remember  me."  Jesus  promised. 
"To-day,"  he  said,  "shalt.thou  be  with  me 
in  Paradise." 

It  was  noon,  when  the  glare  of  the  sun  was 
most  dazzling,  and  its  heat  most  burning,  but 
on  this  day  darkness  fell  over  the  earth. 
Through  the  shadow  Jesus  could  see  the  face 
of  his  mother.  With  her  were  Mary  of 
Magdala  and  many  other  women  of  Galilee 
and  the  beloved  disciple  John.  "  Woman," 
Jesus  said,  using  the  same  title  of  tenderness 
and  respect  that  he  had  used  at  the  happy 
time  in  Cana,  "  woman,  behold  thy  son." 
John  was  beside  her,  and  Jesus  meant  that 
she  would  find  him  a  true  and  loving  son  to 
her.  Then  to  John  he  said,  "  Behold  thy  mo- 
ther." John  was  the  only  one  of  the  disciples 
who  had  followed  the  Master  to  the  cross, 
and  Jesus  rewarded  him  by  trusting  him  with 
the  care  of  his  mother. 

Darkness  hung  over  the  earth  from  twelve 
until  three.  At  three  Jesus  cried  out  in  a  loud 
voice  the  Aramaic  words,    "  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama 


382  THE  CHRIST  STORY 


sabachthani ? "  that  is,  "My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? "  The  first 
words  sounded  a  little  like  "  Elijah,  Elijah," 
and  some  of  the  people  said,  "He  is  calling 
upon  Elijah."  "  I  thirst,"  said  Jesus  faintly, 
and  some  one  caught  up  a  sponge  that  had 
stoj^ped  the  mouth  of  the  soldiers'  drinking- 
jar  of  thin  wine,  filled  it  with  wine,  fastened 
it  to  a  stem  of  hyssop  that  was  growing  near, 
and  held  it  up  to  him.  "  No,"  said  some  of 
the  others.  "Don't  give  it  to  him.  Wait 
and  see  whether  Elijah  will  come  to  save  him." 
Jesus  did  not  refuse  the  drink.  He  gave  one 
cry,  not  of  pain,  but  a  great  shout  of  triumph, 
"  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 
His  head  sank  upon  his  breast,  and  he  said, 
"  It  is  finished." 

Then  even  the  Roman  soldiers  fell  on  the 
ground  with  fear,  for  the  earth  shook,  the 
rocks  were  split,  and  tombs  in  the  hillsides 
were  burst  open.  The  centurion  and  the  sol- 
diers who  were  with  him  gazed  at  one  another 
in  fear.  "  This  was  a  righteous  man,"  said 
the  centurion.  "  Truly,  this  was  the  Son  of 
God."  In  the  Temple,  between  the  Holy 
Place  and  the  Holy  of  HoHes,  there  was  a 
thick  curtain  of  the  richest  tapestry  that  could 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS  383 

be  made.  It  was  of  blue  and  scarlet  and 
purple  and  gold.  At  the  moment  of  Jesus' 
death,  this  vail  was  suddenly  torn  from  the 
top  to  the  bottom,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
the  place  so  sacred  that  no  one  entered  it  but 
the  high  priest,  and  he  only  once  a  year,  was 
thrown  open  for  all  to  see  who  wished,  for  the 
life  of  Jesus  had  shown  God  to  all  mankind. 

It  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  Friday.  At  sunset  the  Sabbath  would  be- 
gin, and  the  Passover  Sabbath  was  one  of  the 
great  days  of  the  Jewish  year.  Three  bodies 
hanging  on  crosses  after  sunset  so  near  the 
Holy  City  would  make  the  land  unclean,  so 
the  Jews  went  to  Pilate  again  with  a  request. 
"It  is  against  our  laws,"  they  declared,  "to 
have  bodies  hang^  on  crosses  on  the  Sabbath. 
Will  you  order  the  soldiers  to  put  those  three 
men  to  death,  so  that  they  may  be  buried 
before  sunset  ?  "  This  was  a  request  which 
Pilate  did  not  hesitate  to  grant.  He  cared 
nothing  for  the  two  thieves,  but  he  thought  it 
would  be  a  relief  to  know  that  the  strange 
man  who  mig^ht  be  the  son  of  the  Jewish 
Jehovah  was  dead  and  buried  ;  so  he  gave 
orders  that  the  three  should  be  killed  at  once 
in  the  barbarous  Roman  fashion,  by  breaking 


384  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

their  legs  with  blows  of  heavy  clubs.  The 
soldiers  went  out  to  obey,  and  they  broke  the 
legs  of  the  two  thieves,  but  when  they  came 
to  Jesus,  they  saw  that  he  was  already  dead. 
"  I  've  seen  many  a  crucifixion,"  said  one  of 
them,  "but  I  never  saw  a  man  die  so  soon." 
"Better  make  sure,"  advised  the  other,  and 
he  pierced  the  side  of  Jesus  with  his  spear. 

The  bodies  of  the  two  thieves  were  hurried 
into  the  rubbish  piles  and  ash  heaps  of  the 
city  in  the  Valley  of  Hinnom ;  and  there  the 
body  of  Jesus  would  have  been  thrown,  had 
it  not  been  for  two  friends  of  his,  Joseph  of 
Arimathea,  and  Nicodemus,  who  came  to  him 
by  night  so  long  before.  Both  of  these  men 
had  been  afraid  to  say  boldly  that  they  believed 
in  Jesus,  but  they  were  not  afraid  to  follow 
him  to  Calvary,  and  when  he  was  dead  they 
walked  away  from  the  place  together.  "  The 
body  of  the  Master  shall  not  be  thrown  into 
the  Valley  of  Hinnom,"  Josej)h  said  to  Nico- 
demus. "  But  can  we  prevent  it  ?  "  asked 
Nicodemus.  "  Pilate's  doors  are  always  open 
to  a  gift,"  replied  Joseph,  "  and  the  gift  shall 
go  before  me."  "I  will  go  and  buy  myrrh 
and  aloes  and  spices,"  said  Nicodemus.  Then 
Joseph  went  to  Pilate's  palace  and  asked  to 


THE  WAY   OF   THE  CROSS  385 

see  the  governor.  Pilate  was  ready  to  grant 
any  favor  to  a  man  who  had  just  sent  him 
a  purse  of  gold,  but  he  was  much  surprised 
when  the  rich  councilor  asked,  "  Will  you  give 
me  the  body  of  Jesus,  who  died  on  the  cross 
to-day?  "  "  Died  !  He  is  not  dead  already! " 
exclaimed  Pilate,  and  he  sent  for  the  centurion 
who  had  had  charge  of  the  crucifixion.  "  Is 
the  Nazarene  dead,  the  one  who  said  that 
he  was  King:  of  the  Jews  ?  "  he  demanded. 
'^  The  Kins:  of  the  Jews  is  dead,"  the  cen- 
turion  answered  gravely.  Pilate  would  have 
liked  to  know  more  of  his  death,  but  he  would 
not  ask  any  further  questions.  He  turned  to 
Joseph  and  nodded  without  saying  a  word. 

Then  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  went  to  Cal- 
vary, where  the  body  of  Jesus  still  hung  on 
the  cross.  The  eyes  of  those  strong  men 
filled  with  tears  as  they  drew  out  the  heavy 
nails  that  pierced  his  hands  and  feet.  Joseph 
owned  a  beautiful  garden  not  far  from  Cal- 
vary, and  in  the  garden  was  a  tomb  cut  out  of 
the  rock.  He  had  meant  it  for  himself  and 
his  family,  but  no  one  had  ever  been  placed  in 
it.  There  he  and  Nicodemus  carried  the  body 
of  Jesus.  They  laid  it  down  gently  upon  the 
soft  green  grass,  and  bathed  away  the  blood 


386  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

from  the  wounds  of  the  nails  in  his  hands  and 
feet  and  the  jagged  cut  of  the  soldier's  spear 
in  his  side.  Sunset  was  the  beginning  of 
Saturday,  and  it  would  be  unlawful  to  do 
any  work  on  that  day,  so  the  two  men  could 
only  wrap  the  body  carefully  in  broad  bands 
of  white  linen  and  sprinkle  myrrh  and  aloes 
over  it.  The  embalming  could  be  finished 
when  the  Sabbath  was  over.  By  touching  a 
dead  body  they  had  made  themselves  unclean 
for  seven  days,  and  they  would  have  no  share 
in  the  Passover  sacrifice  and  feasting  and  re- 
joicing, but  they  did  not  stop  for  that.  They 
rolled  a  great  round  stone  up  to  the  tomb  to 
close  it  and  keep  wild  animals  from  breaking 
in,  and  then  they  went  away.  The  women 
who  had  come  to  the  cross  had  watched  beside 
it  until  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  went  to  the 
garden ;  then  they  had  followed,  weeping  bit- 
terly. John  had  taken  Mary  the  mother  of 
Jesus  to  his  own  home,  and  she  was  so  broken- 
hearted, so  crushed  by  her  grief,  that  he  could 
not  leave  her.  Mary  of  Magdala  had  been  at 
the  cross,  and  some  of  the  other  women  of 
Galilee  who  had  believed  in  Jesus.  When  the 
two  men  had  gone,  they  sat  by  the  tomb  late 
into  the  twilight,  for  they  could  not  bear  to 


MOURNING 


THE   WAY   OF   THE   CROSS  387 

go  away.  At  last  they  said,  "  Let  us  go  and 
prepare  spices  and  ointment,  and  return  as 
soon  as  the  Sabbath  is  over,"  and  they  went 
to  their  homes. 

Before  the  trumpets  sounded  at  sunset  on 
Friday  evening  to  say  that  the  Sabbath  had 
begun,  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  met 
together  and  rejoiced  that  Jesus  was  dead. 
"  There  will  be  no  more  driving  of  our  dealers 
out  of  the  Temple,"  said  one  of  the  chief 
priests ;  and  a  Pharisee  added,  "  The  people 
will  believe  what  they  are  taught  now."  This 
did  not  please  the  chief  priests,  for  they  and 
the  Pharisees  did  not  agree ;  but  they  had 
no  time  to  quarrel,  for  another  of  the  chief 
priests  burst  into  the  room  and  cried,  "  Joseph 
of  Arimathea  has  begged  the  body  of  Jesus 
from  Pilate,  and  even  now  he  and  Nicodemus 
are  burying  it  in  Joseph's  new  tomb  in  his 
own  garden."  "  How  did  Pilate  ever  grant 
such  a  request  ?  "  cried  one,  and  another  re- 
plied, "  Pilate  likes  money  ;  Joseph  has  money. 
The  rest  is  easy."  "  And  Pilate  himself  was 
half  inclined  to  believe  in  that  pretender !  " 
exclaimed  a  third.  "  I  suppose  he  thought 
he  might  be  the  son  of  the  heathen  Jupiter." 
A   man   who  had  been  sitting  a  little   apart 


388  THE   CHRIST  STORY 


then  said,  "  Do  you  remember  that  when  the 
pretender  was  ahve  he  declared  that  if  he  was 
put  to  death  he  would  come  to  Hfe  again  on 
the  third  day?  What  is  to  hinder  his  dis- 
cijiles  from  stealing  away  his  body  and  saying 
that  his  words  have  come  true  ?  "  "  He  ousrht 
to  have  been  thrown  into  the  Valley  of  Hin- 
nom,"  cried  one.  "  There  is  no  resurrection 
from  Hinnom."  "  But  what  shall  we  do  ?  " 
another  asked,  and  they  discussed  the  question. 
By  the  Jewish  way  of  counting  time  the  day 
after  Friday  was  called  the  second  day,  and  the 
next  was  called  the  third  day.  "  It  is  not 
many  hours  before  the  third  day  will  come  and 
go,"  one  suggested.  "Let  us  ask  Pilate  to 
give  us  a  guard  for  the  tomb,  and  then  if  any 
one  rolls  away  the  stone,  he  will  have  Eome 
to  deal  with." 

So  on  the  Sabbath,  as  early  in  the  morning 
as  they  dared,  the  chief  j^riests  and  Pharisees 
went  to  Pilate  and  said,  "  Sir,  we  have  just 
remembered  that  when  that  Galilean  deceiver 
was  alive  he  prophesied  that  if  he  was  put  to 
death  it  would  make  no  difference,  for  he 
should  come  to  life  again  on  the  third  day. 
Will  you  not  command  a  guard  to  watch  the 
tomb  till  the  third  day  is  past  ?     For  if  his 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS  389 

disciples  steal  him  away  and  tell  the  people 
that  he  is  risen  from  the  dead,  they  will  be- 
lieve in  him  more  firmly  than  ever."  Pilate 
was  annoyed  by  the  whole  matter,  and  he  said 
shortly,  "  Take  whatever  guard  you  Hke ; " 
but  he  was  still  uneasy  about  what  the  power 
of  the  strange  man  whom  he  had  put  to  death 
might  be,  and  he  called  as  they  were  going 
out  of  the  door,  "Make  it  as  sure  as  you  can." 
Then  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  and  the 
guard  of  Roman  soldiers  went  to  the  tomb  in 
the  garden  of  Joseph.  They  stretched  cords 
across  the  stone  at  the  opening  and  fastened 
them  to  the  rock  on  either  side  by  lumps  of 
wet  clay.  "  There!  "  said  the  soldiers,  "  no  one 
will  break  in  here  without  our  knowing  it." 
But  the  chief  priests  were  not  yet  satisfied. 
"  Seal  it  with  the  seal  of  the  emperor,"  they 
said,  "  for  it  is  death  to  break  that."  Then 
the  clay  was  sealed  with  the  emperor's  seal, 
and  the  soldiers  watched  the  tomb.  It  was 
all  a  very  foohsh  affair  to  them,  but  a  Roman 
soldier  must  obey  orders,  and  if  he  was  told 
to  guard  a  rock  and  a  bit  of  clay,  that  was 
what  he  must  do. 


IiOS 


XXIV 

THE    lord's    day 

Friday  night,  Saturday,  and  Saturday  niglit 
Roman  soldiers  guarded  the  tomb.  They 
were  reUeved  every  three  hours,  and  they 
made  a  good  time  of  their  watch.  They  told 
stories,  they  shook  dice,  and  they  made  bets 
on  whether  a  bird  would  be  seen  first  on  the 
right  or  on  the  left.  When  twilight  came 
they  built  a  fire,  for  the  evenings  were  cool. 
All  was  quiet ;  but  when  Saturday  night  was 
gone,  and  the  morning  of  the  third  day  was 
beginning  to  brighten,  the  earth  suddenly 
rocked  and  tossed  under  their  feet.  "More 
of  the  earthquake,  but  it  will  soon  "  —  one  of 
them  began  to  say  carelessly,  to  show  that 
he  had  no  fear  of  earthquakes,  but  before  his 
words  were  finished,  a  dazzling  light  blazed 
around  the  men.  The  cords  snapped,  and  the 
emperor's  seal  fell  into  bits  of  clay.  The  great 
stone  rolled  away  of  itself  from  the  entrance 


394  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

to  the  tomb,  and  in  the  light  they  saw  an 
ans-el.  His  robes  were  white  as  snow,  and  his 
face  shone  hke  Hghtning.  The  soldiers  trem- 
bled and  fell  to  the  ground  like  dead  men. 

Now  Mary  of  Magdala  and  the  other  faith- 
ful women  did  not  know  that  soldiers  had 
been  sent  to  guard  the  tomb,  so  at  early  dawn 
they  set  out  with  their  spices  and  ointments 
to  embalm  the  body  of  Jesus.  As  they  came 
into  the  garden,  one  of  them  said,  "  But  what 
shall  we  do  ?  The  stone  is  very  large,  and  we 
cannot  move  it."  Then  as  they  came  nearer, 
they  saw  that  the  stone  had  been  rolled  away. 
The  guards  had  fled  in  terror,  but  the  women 
supposed  that  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  or  some 
of  their  servants  had  come  before  them,  and 
they  stepped  into  the  tomb.  On  the  right 
hand  sat  a  young  man  in  a  white  robe,  wdio 
said,  "  Do  not  be  troubled,  and  do  not  be 
afraid.  I  know  that  you  have  come  to  look 
for  Jesus,  who  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here ; 
he  is  risen,  just  as  he  said.  See,  this  is  where 
he  was  laid  !  "  The  women  could  not  under- 
stand, and  as  they  stood  gazing  at  the  angel, 
a  second  angel  stood  by  them  in  dazzling  gar- 
ments. The  women  were  afraid,  and  bowed 
down  their  faces  to  the  earth,  but  the  angel 


THE   LORD'S   DAY  395 

said,  "  This  is  the  place  for  the  dead.  Why 
do  you  look  here  for  him  who  is  alive  ?  Go 
and  say  to  Peter  and  the  other  disciples, '  The 
Master  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee.  Go 
to  Galilee,  and  you  shall  see  him  there,  as  he 
promised  you.'  "  The  women  could  not  speak, 
and  the  angel  continued,  "Do  you  not  re- 
member that  when  he  was  in  Galilee  he  told 
you  that  he  should  be  given  up  into  the  hands 
of  wicked  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  that  the 
third  day  he  should  rise  again  ?  "  The  women 
remembered  his  words,  but  they  were  too  much 
astonished  to  understand  or  believe  them. 
They  ran  to  the  disciples  and  told  them  about 
the  angels  and  what  they  had  said.  It  was  all 
as  mysterious  to  the  disciples  as  to  the  women, 
and  they  replied,  "  It  is  only  fancy.  You  were 
worn  out  with  your  sorrow,  and  you  thought 
you  saw  a  vision."  But  the  women  declared, 
"  It  was  no  fancy.  The  angels  were  there, 
and  they  did  speak  to  us,  but  they  did  not  tell 
us  where  to  find  the  Master's  body.  It  is  gone 
from  the  tomb,  and  we  do  not  know  where 
they  have  laid  it;"  for  even  after  they  had 
been  told  that  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead, 
they  were  still  expecting  to  find  his  body. 
Then  Peter  and  John  arose  and  hastened  to 


396  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

the  garden.  The  stone  was  indeed  rolled 
away.  They  ran  to  the  opening,  and  John 
stooped  down  and  looked  in,  but  in  the  dark- 
ness he  could  see  only  the  gleam  of  the  white 
linen.  Peter  was  not  so  young  as  John,  and 
could  not  run  so  fast,  but  when  he  came  to 
the  tomb,  he  did  not  hesitate  for  a  moment 
to  go  in  through  the  opening.  There  were 
the  linen  wrappings  lying  in  one  place  and 
the  cloth  that  had  been  laid  upon  the  face  of 
Jesus  lying  in  another.  They  were  folded  care- 
fully, and  so  the  men  knew  that  no  enemy  or 
no  wild  beast  had  been  there ;  but  who  could 
it  have  been  ?  Puzzled  and  wondering,  they 
turned  slowly  away  and  went  to  their  homes. 
Mary  of  Magdala  could  not  stay  away  from 
the  place  where  her  Lord  had  been,  and  when 
the  men  were  gone,  she  still  stood  by  the  tomb 
and  wept.  Then  she  thought,  "  He  must  be 
there.  I  will  look  again,"  and  she,  too,  stooped 
and  looked  into  the  tomb.  There  where  the 
body  of  Jesus  had  lain  were  two  angels,  one 
at  the  place  where  the  head  had  been  and  one 
at  the  foot.  They  asked  her  gently,  "  Wo- 
man, why  do  you  weep?"  She  was  too  full 
of  grief  to  be  afraid,  and  she  answered,  "  Be- 
cause they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I 


CHRIST  APPEARING   TO   MARY    MAGDALENE 


THE  LORD'S  DAY  397 


do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  him."    She 
turned  back.      Her   eyes  were  bHnded  with 
tears,  but  she  saw  some  one  whom  she  thought 
to  be  the  gardener  standing  in  the  shade  of  a 
tree  outside  the  tomb.     He  asked,  "  Woman, 
why  do  you  weep  ?     Whom  do  you  seek  ? " 
She  answered,   "  Oh,  sir,  if  you  have  carried 
him  from  here,  tell  me  where  he  is,  and  I  will 
take  him  away."    Then  he  said  only  one  word, 
"  Mary ; "  but  it  was  the  Master's  voice,  for 
it  was  he  and  no  gardener  who  stood  in  the 
shade  of  the  tree.     "  Rabboni,  mv  Master !  " 
she  exclaimed,  and   would    have   thrown  her 
arms  about  him  in  her  joy.     "  Do   not  touch 
me,"  he  said,  "  for  I  have  not  yet  ascended  to 
my  Father  ;  but  go  to  my  brethren  and  tell 
them  that  I  shall  ascend  unto  him  who  is  my 
Father  and   their  Father,  my   God  and  their 
God."     Then  came  the  other  women,  and  as 
they  drew  near,  Jesus  went  toward  them  and 
greeted  them  in  the  old  familiar  words,  "  All 
hail !  "     They  could  not  speak  for  joy,  they 
could  only  throw  themselves  at  his  feet  and 
do  him  reverence.     Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Fear 
not,  but    go    and    tell  my  brethren  to  leave 
Jerusalem  and  go  home  to  Galilee.    They  shall 
find  me  there." 


398  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

While  the  women  were  joyful  and  the  men 
Avere  doubting  and  not  daring  to  believe  their 
story,  the  chief  priests  were  in  a  great  diffi- 
culty. The  Roman  guards  had  come  to  them 
with  pale  faces  and  trembling  limbs  and  told 
them  of  the  coming  of  the  angel.  "  This  must 
not  be  known,"  the  priests  whispered  to  one 
another,  "  or  the  whole  city  will  believe  in  the 
pretender  ;  "  and  they  said  to  the  soldiers,  "  It 
was  nothing.  You  slept  and  had  a  dream, 
that  was  all."  "  Roman  guards  keep  awake," 
the  soldiers  answered.  "  When  a  Roman  sol- 
dier sleeps  at  his  post,  he  dies  the  next  day." 
Then  the  priests  said,  "  Wait  here  until  we 
have  decided  what  is  best."  In  a  little  while 
they  came  for  the  soldiers  and  led  them  into 
an  inner  room.  When  the  door  was  fastened, 
they  said,  "See!"  and  there  lay  more  gold 
than  the  men  had  ever  dreamed  of  possessing, 
for  it  took  more  to  bribe  a  Roman  soldier  than 
to  bribe  Judas.  "  That  is  yours,"  said  the 
priests,  "  if  you  will  say  throughout  the  city 
that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  came  by  night  and 
stole  him  away  while  you  slept."  "  What  is 
the  good  of  gold?"  demanded  one  of  the 
soldiers  scornfully,  "  if  a  man  is  to  be  put  to 
death  for  sleeping  at  his  post?  "    "  You  need 


THE   LORD'S   DAY  399 

not  fear,"  replied  the  priests.  "Do  as  we  say  ; 
if  the  matter  comes  to  the  governor's  ears,  we 
^vill  see  that  you  are  not  punished.  We  know 
how  to  persuade  Pilate,"  and  they  glanced  at 
the  gold  and  smiled.  So  the  soldiers  took  the 
gold ;  but  as  they  went  through  the  door, 
one  of  the  priests  whispered,  "  If  you  speak 
of  the  coming  of  angels,  it  will  be  easy  for 
us  to  tell  Pilate  that  you  slept  and  dreamed." 
The  soldiers  went  away  with  their  money,  and 
told  the  story  as  the  priests  had  bidden  them. 
Jesus  had  told  the  apostles  to  go  into  Gali- 
lee and  wait  for  him  there,  but  they  lingered 
in  Jerusalem  and  hesitated.  They  could  not 
think  that  he  had  really  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  they  could  not  bear  to  go  away  from  the 
place  where  they  had  seen  him  last.  Two  of 
the  men,  however,  who  had  believed  in  him  de- 
cided to  go  to  Emmaus,  a  village  seven  or  eight 
miles  from  Jerusalem.  As  they  walked  to- 
gether, they  talked  sadly  of  what  had  come  to 
pass.  After  they  had  gone  a  little  way,  a  young 
man  drew  near  and  asked,  "  What  is  it  that 
you  are  talking  about  so  earnestly?"  They 
were  so  sad  that  they  did  not  wish  to  talk 
to  a  stranger,  but  after  a  moment  one  of  them 
asked,  "  Are  you  the  only  man  in  Jerusalem 


400  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

who  does  not  know  the  things  that  have  hap- 
pened in  the  last  few  days  ?  "  The  stranger 
asked,  "  What  things  ?  "  and  they  answered, 
"About  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  great  prophet, 
one  who  did  wonderful  miracles  and  spoke 
words  of  truth.  Do  you  not  know  that  the 
chief  priests  and  our  rulers  gave  him  up  to 
Pilate  that  he  might  be  condemned  to  death, 
and  then  they  crucified  him  ?  We  hoped  that 
he  was  the  Christ  who  would  deliver  our  na- 
tion, but  it  is  now  the  third  day  since  this  was 
done.  Another  thing  puzzles  us,  for  some  wo- 
men who  were  also  his  followers  went  to  the 
tomb  early  this  morning,  but  his  body  was  not 
there.  They  told  us  that  they  had  seen  two 
ana-els  who  said  he  was  alive.  Some  of  us  went 
to  the  tomb  afterwards,  and  we  found,  indeed, 
that  his  body  was  gone." 

Then  the  stranger  asked,  "  Why  are  you  so 
slow  to  believe  ?  You  have  read  the  prophets ; 
are  not  all  these  things  just  what  they  said 
the  Christ  would  suffer,  and  that  after  them 
he  would  die  and  enter  into  glory  ?  "  He  re- 
minded them  of  all  that  the  prophets  had  said 
about  Christ.  "  Do  you  not  see,"  he  asked, 
"  that  every  one  of  these  prophecies  points 
out  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  Messiah  ?  " 


THE   LORD'S   DAY  401 

While  they  were  talking  they  came  to  the 
home  of  the  two  men.  "  Come  in  with  us," 
they  begged.  "  It  is  almost  evening.  Come 
in  and  stay  with  us  and  tell  us  more  of  the 
Christ."  The  strano^er  went  in  with  them. 
The  evening  meal  was  soon  ready,  and  they 
went  to  the  table.  The  place  of  honor  was  of 
course  given  to  the  guest,  and  he  said  the  few 
words  that  called  for  God's  blessing  on  the 
food.  Then  he  broke  the  bread  and  gave  it 
to  them,  but  they  forgot  to  eat,  for  their  eyes 
were  opened,  and  they  saw  that  the  stranger 
was  the  Master  himself.  While  they  gazed, 
too  full  of  joy  and  wonder  to  speak  or  move, 
he  vanished  from  their  sight.  "  Why  did  we 
not  know  him?  "  they  lamented.  "  How  could 
we  help  knowing  him  when  he  talked  with  us 
on  the  road  ?  We  felt  that  he  was  no  com- 
mon man.  Why  did  we  not  see  that  it  was 
the  Master?" 

It  was  already  twiHght,  but  the  two  men 
hurried  back  to  Jerusalem,  to  the  room  where 
the  apostles  and  other  followers  of  Jesus  were 
met  together.  "  The  Lord  is  risen  !  "  cried 
the  disciples  as  they  opened  the  door.  "  He 
has  appeared  to  Peter."  "  We,  too,  have 
seen  the  Lord,"  said  the  two,  and  they  told 


402  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

the  others  about  the  stranger  who  had  talked 
with  them  on  the  road  to  Emmaus.  "  We  were 
dull  and  slow,"  they  groaned,  "and  we  did 
not  know  him  till  he  blessed  the  bread  and 
broke  it  and  gave  it  to  us,  and  then  we  saw 
that  it  was  the  Lord  himself."  All  this  time 
the  doors  were  closely  shut,  for  fear  of  the 
Jews,  but  suddenly  Jesus  himself  stood  in  the 
midst  of  his  disciples  and  said,  "  Peace  be 
unto  you."  "  It  is  a  spirit !  "  cried  some  of 
them,  and  they  were  afraid.  Jesus  asked, 
"  Why  are  you  afraid  ?  Why  do  you  doubt 
and  question  ?  See  the  prints  of  the  nails 
in  ray  hands  and  my  feet.  See  the  wound  in 
my  side.  Touch  me.  No  spirit  has  flesh  and 
bones  as  I  have."  The  disciples  could  hardly 
believe  that  it  was  really  their  own  dear  Mas- 
ter until  Jesus  asked,  "  Have  you  any  food?  " 
They  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish,  and 
he  ate  before  them.  Never  was  there  such 
gladness  in  all  the  world  as  in  that  room  where 
the  disciples  were  hidden  away  and  the  doors 
were  shut  for  fear  of  their  enemies. 

These  men  were  to  go  on  with  the  work  of 
Jesus  in  the  world,  and  he  said  to  them  again, 
"  Peace  be  unto  you.  I  am  sending  you  out 
to  teach  the  world,  just  as  my  Father  sent  me. 


THE  LORD'S   DAY  403 

Receive  the  Holy  Spirit."  Then  he  spoke 
some  very  solemn  words.  "  It  is  your  work," 
he  said,  "  to  tell  men  that  God  forgives  sin. 
If  you  are  faithful,  the  sins  of  many  will  be 
forgiven ;  but  if  you  are  not  faithful,  they  will 
not  be  forgiven."  There  were  many  questions 
that  the  disciples  were  eager  to  ask  him,  but 
suddenly  they  found  that  he  was  no  longer 
among  them. 


,    vjjjiiuiiiiiii' 


-^i^ 


XXV 

I   GO    TO    THE    FATHER 

Thomas  was  not  with  the  other  disciples 
when  Jesus  came,  and  as  soon  as  he  returned 
they  cried,  "  0  Thomas,  Thomas,  how  could 
you  be  away?  We  have  seen  the  Lord." 
"  It  cannot  be,"  declared  Thomas,  "  You  are 
deceived."  "But  we  saw  the  print  of  the 
nails,"  they  replied.  "  It  was  the  Lord  him- 
self." Then  said  Thomas,  "  Unless  I,  too,  can 
see  the  print  of  the  nails  in  his  hands  and 
touch  it,  and  put  my  hand  on  the  wound  in 
his  side,  I  will  not  believe  that  he  whom  you 
saw  was  the  Master." 

All  that  week  Thomas  did  not  know  what 
to  think.  "  Jesus  is  dead,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"  and  it  was  not  he  that  they  saw."  Then 
he  thought,  "  Perhaps  it  was  he,  and  I  am 
not  worthy,  or  the  Master  would  have  shown 
himself  to  me.  I  may  as  well  go  back  to  my 
fishing.     It  was  a  happy  time  with  him,  but 


408  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

now  it  is  over."  Still  Thomas  could  not  stay 
away  from  the  other  disciples,  for  in  spite  of 
his  doubt,  his  first  thought  every  morning  was, 
"  Perhaps  he  will  come  to-day  ;  "  and  at  even- 
ing he  went  to  sleep  saying  to  himself,  "  It  may 
be  that  I  shall  see  him  to-morrow."  Jesus 
was  sorry  for  Thomas,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  week  Thomas,  too,  saw  the  Lord.  The 
disciples  were  together  in  that  same  upper 
room,  and  the  doors  were  closed,  but  there 
was  Jesus  standing  in  the  midst.  He  gave 
them  the  old  greeting  that  always  seemed  new 
when  it  came  from  his  lips,  "  Peace  be  unto 
you  !  "  and  then  he  turned  to  Thomas  and  said, 
"  Stretch  out  your  finger  and  touch  the  print 
of  the  nails  in  my  hands,  and  put  your  hand 
upon  the  wound  in  my  side.  Do  not  doubt, 
but  believe."  Thomas  cried,  "  My  Lord  and 
my  God  ! "  and  Jesus  said,  "  You  have  be- 
lieved because  you  have  seen  me ;  blessed  are 
those  who  have  not  seen  and  yet  have  be- 
lieved." Then  Jesus  disappeared  from  among 
them.  Thomas  was  grieved  and  sorry  that 
he  had  ever  doubted  that  Jesus  would  rise 
from  the  dead.  "And  he  came  even  to  me," 
he  thought  over  and  over,  for  it  seemed  too 
wonderful  to  be  true. 


CO 

O 


H 

0 

z 

t/) 

ID 

1/1 


I  GO   TO   THE  FATHER  409 

For  three  years  the  disciples  had  been  with 
Jesus  day  and  night.  They  had  followed  him 
like  little  children  whom  one  would  lead  by  the 
hand,  and  they  had  obeyed  him  like  children. 
Now  that  he  was  no  more  hving  among  them 
in  the  old  familiar  way,  they  felt  as  helpless 
as  children.  Then  they  remembered  that  he 
had  sent  them  word  by  the  women  at  the 
tomb,  "  Go  back  into  Galilee,  and  I  will  meet 
you  there."  So  they  went  back  to  Galilee. 
They  all  felt  that  Jesus  would  call  them,  and 
they  were  ready  to  do  whatever  he  bade,  but 
they  had  no  idea  what  he  would  ask. 

Peter  and  Thomas  and  Nathanael  and  James 
and  John  and  Philip  and  Andrew  went  to  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  and  stood  where  they  had  so 
often  stood  with  their  Master.  They  were  talk- 
ing about  him,  and  when  he  would  call  them, 
and  what  he  would  tell  them  to  do.  At  last 
Peter  said,  "  We  do  not  know  when  he  will 
come,  and  I  will  go  to  my  fishing."  "  We  will 
go  with  you,"  agreed  the  others.  They  went 
into  the  boat,  and  all  that  night  they  fished, 
but  they  caught  nothing.  At  break  of  day 
they  turned  their  boat  homeward,  and  as  they 
neared  the  shore,  some  one  standing  on  the 
beach  called  to  them  in  the  mist,  "  Children, 


410  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

have  you  anything  to  eat  ?  "  "  No,"  they  an- 
swered, and  hardly  glanced  at  him,  for  it  was  a 
common  way  to  speak  and  a  common  question 
to  be  asked  by  people  on  the  shore  who  wished 
to  buy  fish  when  the  boats  came  to  land  in  the 
morning.  They  heard  the  voice  again.  "  Cast 
your  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,"  it  said, 
"and  you  will  find  fish."  They  cast  the  net, 
and  now  it  was  so  full  that  they  could  not  draw 
it  in.  Then  John  whispered  to  Peter,  "  It  is 
the  Lord."  Warm-hearted  Peter  could  not 
wait  for  the  boat  to  come  to  land,  but  threw 
himself  into  the  sea  to  find  whether  it  really 
was  the  Master.  He  was  soon  near  enough  to 
see  that  it  was,  but  he  did  not  dare  to  speak. 
There  was  Jesus,  and  near  him  was  a  little  fire 
of  coals  with  fish  laid  on  them  to  broil,  and 
some  bread.  Then  Jesus  bade  them  bring 
some  of  the  fish  that  they  had  taken.  Peter 
ran  down  to  the  net  and  helped  the  others  draw 
it  to  the  land.  In  it  there  were  one  hundred 
and  fifty-three  great  fishes,  and  yet  the  net 
did  not  break.  Jesus  said  to  them  all,  "  Come 
and  breakfast,"  and  he  gave  them  bread  and 
fish,  just  as  he  had  done  many  times  before. 
He  did  it  in  the  very  same  way,  and  they  loved 
him  as  they  had  for  three  years,  but  they  felt 


I  GO  TO  THE  FATHER  411 

a  strange  awe  of  him.  He  was  the  same,  but 
not  the  same.  Peter  and  James  and  John  re- 
membered his  face  as  they  had  seen  it  on  the 
mountain  when  Moses  and  Elijah  had  talked 
with  him.  "He  is  on  earth,"  they  thought, 
"  but  he  looks  as  if  he  were  in  heaven,"  and 
they  did  not  dare  to  ask  him  any  questions. 

When  they  had  eaten  the  bread  and  the  fish, 
Jesus  asked  Peter,  "  Simon,  do  you  love  me  ?  " 
In  a  moment  Peter  remembered  the  night 
when  he  had  cried,  "  I  will  never  doubt  you," 
and  he  remembered  how  soon  he  had  said,  "  I  do 
not  know  him."  Still  he  was  so  sure  that  Jesus 
understood  how  sorry  he  had  been  and  how 
much  he  really  loved  his  Master,  in  spite  of  the 
moment's  cowardice,  that  he  answered,  "  Yes, 
Lord,  you  know  that  I  love  you."  Jesus  said, 
"  Feed  my  lambs."  After  a  little  while  Jesus 
asked  him  again,  "  Simon,  do  you  love  me  ?  " 
Peter  answered  again,  "  Yes,  Lord,  you  know 
that  I  love  you."  "  Care  for  my  sheep,"  said 
Jesus.  Even  a  third  time  Jesus  asked,  "  Simon, 
do  you  love  me  ?  "  Then  Peter  was  grieved, 
and  he  thought,  "  The  Master  knows  how  sorry 
I  am  for  what  I  did  on  that  terrible  morning 
in  the  court  of  Caiaphas's  house.  Will  he 
never  forgive  me  ?  "  and  he  cried,  "  Lord,  you 


412  THE   CHRIST  STORY 

know  everything  ;  you  know  that  I  love  you." 
Jesus  replied  only,  "  Feed  my  sheep  ; "  and 
Peter  thought,  "  How  can  I  prove  that  I  love 
him  ?  I  was  a  coward  once,  but  I  will  die  for 
him — if  he  will  only  let  me  ! "  Jesus  answered 
his  thought.  "When  you  were  young,"  he 
said,  "  you  girded  up  your  robe  and  walked 
where  you  chose  ;  but  when  you  are  old,  others 
shall  gird  you  and  carry  you  where  you  do  not 
choose."  Peter  understood  by  this  that  some 
day  he  would  give  his  life  for  the  Master,  and 
when  Jesus  added,  "  Follow  me,"  he  sprang 
up,  ready  to  follow  even  unto  death.  John, 
too,  started  up  at  the  word  "  Follow."  "  Lord, 
what  shall  he  do  ?  "  asked  Peter,  but  Jesus 
replied,  "  That  you  must  not  ask  to  know.  It 
is  nothing  to  you,  even  if  I  should  wish  him 
to  live  until  I  come  again.  Follow  me,  and 
bear  trouble  and  suffering  as  I  have  borne 
them." 

At  some  time  since  his  rising  from  the 
dead,  Jesus  had  told  his  disciples  to  come 
together  on  a  mountain  in  Galilee,  and  there 
they  should  meet  him.  Not  only  the  eleven 
apostles,  but  five  hundred  others,  followers  of 
Jesus,  met  on  this  mountain,  and  when  they 
had  come  together,  they   saw  him   standing 


I   GO   TO   THE   FATHER  413 

before  tliem.  Even  then  there  were  a  few  who 
doubted,  but  the  great  company  worshiped 
him  as  the  Christ.  Jesus  had  much  to  say 
to  these  people,  for  it  was  the  last  time  that 
he  would  speak  to  them,  and  he  wished  to 
tell  them  what  they  were  to  do.  He  said, 
"  My  Father  has  given  me  all  authority  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  and  I  bid  you  go  among 
all  nations.  Baptize  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  teach  them  to  obey  whatever  I  have 
taught  you ;  "  and  then  he  made  a  glorious 
promise,  so  that  they  should  never  feel  lonely 
and  never  doubt  him,  —  "I  will  be  with  you 
always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

For  forty  days  Jesus  came  and  went  among 
his  disciples.  They  were  always  expecting 
to  see  him  and  always  hoping  that  he  would 
come.  He  had  appeared  among  them  when 
they  were  met  together  to  talk  of  him,  and 
when  they  were  busy  with  hard  work  to  earn 
their  food.  He  had  lingered  with  them  in 
the  places  that  he  had  loved  best,  in  Galilee 
and  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Jerusalem,  too, 
he  loved,  though  it  had  refused  to  hear  him, 
and  Bethany  and  the  Mount  of  Olives.  He 
wished  to  go  to  these  places  with  them,  for 


414  THE  CHRIST  STORY 

he  wanted  them  to  remember  that,  although 
he  had  gone  to  heaven,  he  was  the  same  Mas- 
ter and  Friend  who  had  lived  among  them  on 
the  earth.  Forty  days  after  he  arose  from 
the  dead  he  told  the  eleven  to  go  to  the  up- 
per room  in  Jerusalem.  When  they  had  come 
together,  Jesus  stood  among  them.  "  Do 
you  remember,"  he  asked,  "  all  that  I  told 
you  about  myself?  and  do  you  remember 
what  the  prophets  said  about  the  Christ,  how 
you  could  know  when  he  had  really  come  ?  " 
Then  he  explained  to  them  many  things  that 
he  was  afraid  they  did  not  understand,  and 
showed  them  how  everything  that  the  pro- 
phets had  declared  would  be  a  sign  of  the 
Christ  had  been  true  in  regard  to  him.  As 
he  talked  to  them  it  was  so  clear  that  he  was 
the  Christ  that  they  wondered  how  they  could 
have  helped  knowing  it  long  before.  "You 
are  my  witnesses,"  he  said.  "  Stay  in  Jerusa- 
lem till  the  Holy  Spirit  has  come  to  you  to 
teach  you  and  comfort  you,  and  then  go  out 
to  tell  the  world  of  me.  Teach  the  people  in 
Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." 

Then  he  led  them  down  to  the  bridsre  across 
the  Cedron  and  up  the  slope  of  the  Mount  of 


I   GO   TO   THE   FATHER  415 

Olives.  They  went  past  Gethsemane,  and  came 
to  a  place  that  was  opposite  Bethany.  There 
he  lifted  up  his  hands  and  blessed  them. 
While  he  was  blessing  them,  a  cloud  hid  him 
from  their  eyes,  and  when  the  cloud  had 
passed,  the  Master  had  gone  up  into  heaven. 

As  they  stood  gazing  upward,  they  heard  a 
voice  that  said,  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  do 
you  stand  gazing  up  into  heaven  ?  "  and  beside 
them  they  saw  two  angels  in  white  and  shin- 
ing garments.  Their  faces  were  radiant  with 
gladness.  "  This  same  Jesus,"  they  said  joy- 
fully, "  who  has  been  taken  up  from  you  into 
heaven  shall  come  again  in  like  manner  as 
you  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."  Then 
the  disciples,  too,  were  joyful,  and  they  went 
down  the  mountain  and  into  the  city  of  Jeru- 
salem. The  followers  of  Jesus  were  met  to- 
gether in  the  same  upper  room  in  which  he 
had  come  to  them  on  the  day  of  his  rising 
from  the  dead.  There  they  prayed  to  the 
Father,  and  blessed  him  with  words  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving,  because  he  loved  the  world 
so  much  that  he  had  sent  his  only  Son  to 
give  everlasting  hfe  to  every  one  who  should 
believe  in  him. 


416  THE   CHRIST   STORY 

So  it  was  that  the  Son  of  God  became  the 
Son  of  Man ;  that  he  lived,  taught,  suffered, 
and  died ;  that  he  rose  from  the  dead  and  as- 
cended to  sit  at  the  right  hand  of  his  Father 
who  is  in  heaven. 


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